Crimson Dragons
by Demigod Fangirls
Summary: Mizutani Akira, a member of America's best high school basketball team, the Crimson Dragons, returns to Japan to find more challenging opponents to go up against. With her are her two friends and teammates, Mel Terrence and Sam Lyons. In Japan, they run into the Generation of Miracles and they face off in the battle known as the Winter Cup; but could it be they've met before?
1. Chapter 1

**We do not own Kuroko no Basuke or any of its wonderful characters. The only things we own are our OCs: Akira, Mel, Sam, and their OC friends. This is our first fanfiction, so please enjoy!**

 **-Demigod Fangirls**

Ch 1

Akira absolutely _hated_ Mondays. She had already hit the snooze button on her alarm clock seven times, and threw it into the wall, destroying it. Unfortunately, the sound of her alarm hitting the wall with a loud 'Bang!' sent the other occupant of the house sprinting up the stairs and kicking open the door.

"Akira!" shouted an eighteen-year-old boy. "Stop breaking your alarm clocks! That's the tenth one this month!"

Akira groaned. She finally got out of bed and faced the boy. "Sorry, Tyler."

Tyler was Akira's older brother. He had short, burnt orange hair with natural, subtle highlights, and had sea blue eyes that looked green in the dark.

"If you don't hurry, we'll be late for our last day here," he warned, closing the door and walking down the stairs to the kitchen.

Reluctantly, Akira threw off the blanket she had wrapped around herself and walked up to the mirror. Her short, unnaturally bright, orange hair was all over the place, sticking out every which way. She had heterochromatic eyes, one a striking royal blue, and the other a sea-foam green. On her left collarbone was a scar, six inches long, running from the side of her neck down to her arm.

The sixteen year old sighed and grabbed her clothes, quickly putting them on and heading to the kitchen.

When she arrived in the kitchen, Tyler was seated at the table with his nose in one of his manga and a cup of coffee in his free hand. Akira quickly tied an apron around her waist and began cooking some eggs and toast for her and her brother. She knew all too well that Tyler couldn't cook if his life depended on it.

"Thanks, Aki," Tyler said as Akira placed his breakfast in front of him. Akira just nodded and took her brother's half-full coffee mug and downed the bitter liquid in two large gulps before sitting herself next to him, eating her own breakfast.

"No!" Tyler suddenly shouted. Akira didn't even flinch. "Lyle could never replace Neil as Lockon! Why did you have to die, Neil? Why couldn't it have been Ali?" Tyler continued to sob dramatically and shout at his manga while stuffing his mouth with food. Next to him, Akira was half awake, eating her food like a pre-programmed robot.

By the time Akira and Tyler finished eating, Akira was fully awake, jumping around, excited for the day, and Tyler had stored away his manga and composed himself. The two walked out of the house and headed to school together.

It wasn't long until the two siblings arrived at school and Akira was tackled to the ground by a girl with long, blonde hair, which was tied back in a high ponytail, and sparkling violet eyes.

"Good morning, Akira!" the blonde shouted. She got up off of Akira and helped her friend stand. Akira was five inches taller than the girl, so she had to look down a little.

"Morning, Mel. Ready for the game tonight?"

Mel nodded. "Yup! We are going to destroy Tampa Bay High School's basketball team."

"Indeed we are. This'll be my last game with you guys for a while, so let's kick butt."

"Yeah!"

The friends walked into the school toward the gym when Tyler spoke again. "Whose idea was it to have our last day here fall on a Monday?"

Mel shrugged while Akira responded, "I had to stay for the game against TBH."

When the three made it to the gym, they found four people playing a game of two-on-two. There were three guys and one girl. One of the boys, who had short, white-blonde hair and indigo eyes, was in possession of the ball. He passed it to his teammate, the only girl playing, who had collarbone-length hair that was dark brown with natural, light brown highlights, and emerald eyes.

She ran up to the free throw line and threw the ball, making it into the hoop. One of the boys on the opposing team, with onyx eyes and short, spiked-up hair that was black with blonde bangs, grabbed the ball and passed it to his partner, a guy with brick-red hair and hazel eyes.

The redhead got ready to shoot, but the white-haired boy stole the ball, passing it to the girl, who was ready on the other side of the court.

Akira noticed Mel trying to suppress a giggle, but before she could tell her friend not to, Mel ran up to the girl on the court and poked her fingers into the brunette's sides, right as she was about to launch the ball.

The girl jumped, letting out a squeak before falling on the floor. Mel just burst out laughing and everyone turned their attention to her.

The white-haired boy walked over and helped the girl off the floor. "You okay, Sam?"

The girl, Sam, nodded and smiled at Mel, then at Akira, who was walking up to the group with her brother following behind her, waving.

"Morning, everyone," greeted Akira.

"Morning, captain," everyone, aside from Mel and Sam, replied.

Akira looked to the redhead who had been playing earlier. "So Finn, who won?"

Finn's partner answered for him. "Sam and Henry won by two points."

"And who scored the most on your team?"

Finn sulked and pointed his thumb toward his partner. "Robert..."

Robert smiled and Akira thought for a moment.

"Okay then," started Tyler. "Finn, starting tomorrow, after we win our game today," everyone smirked," you'll have more shooting and guarding practice added to your regimen."

Finn sulked again, but nodded.

Mel jumped in and changed the subject. "Where are Charli and Denise?"

Sam made a couple of gestures and Akira translated for the rest of the group. "They'll be late today, so they'll meet us at the game."

"Okay," replied Henry. He turned to look at the clock. "I think we should get to class."

Everyone agreed, and they left.

It was after school when Akira, her brother, and her team headed over to the stadium where the basketball game was being held. They entered the locker room reserved for their team and found two girls. One girl had light brown hair that reached down to her lower back and amber eyes while the other girl had hazel eyes and black hair that reached down to her waist. She also had a bit of a tan.

"Charli! Denise!" shouted Akira, startling the two girls. She walked up to the brunette, giving her a quick hug. "Are you ready, Charli?"

Charli nodded. "Yup!" Charli had to look up a little to look Akira in the eyes because she was, like Mel, quite shorter than Akira. "Denise helped me pack all of our supplies, like our water bottles and towels!"

Akira looked to the tanned girl who was two inches shorter than Charli; Denise, their manager. "Thanks, Denise."

"No problem," she replied. "That's a manager's job, after all."

Tyler cut into the conversation. "Guys, you should get ready. The game is going to start in a few minutes."

After Tyler finished his announcement, everyone suddenly became serious and headed to the court to go up against Tampa Bay High. Akira, Sam, Mel, Robert, and Finn were starting while Tyler, Henry, Charli, and Denise were watching from the bench. Everyone once in a while, during the game, Finn and Charli would switch out with each other so they could both get some experience. Henry would also switch out with Sam whenever he began twitching with the urge to play.

By the end of the game, Akira's team had scored 157 points while the other team only scored 26. Everyone cheered and the teams headed back to their locker rooms.

"That was amazing!" Denise shouted excitedly. Everyone had a large grin on their face as they all got together in a group hug. When they separated, everyone was silent.

Charlie was the first to speak up. "We'll miss you guys when you go to Japan." Robert, Henry, Finn and Denise nodded in agreement.

Akira, Sam, Mel, and Tyler all gave a sad smile. "We'll miss you, too."

Mel turned to the main part of the campus. "Goodbye, Deer Valley High!"

Everyone hugged again before Akira, Tyler, Mel, and Sam headed to the airport.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again! The Demigod Fangirls, Maelstrom_MVF and Aloysius, are happy to introduce chapter two of the Crimson Dragons! Please like and/or comment! We will be uploading about every two weeks or so, depending on our schedule, but we hope you'll continue to read as we get more chapters up!**

 **Disclaimer: Demigod Fangirls would love to own Kuroko no Basuke, but unfortunately, we do not.**

Ch 2

When Akira arrived in Japan, she was so excited. She knew that she had lived there before, during the beginning of middle school, but when she was flying home to visit her family, the plane crashed. The doctors said that it gave her amnesia, which was the reason why she couldn't remember being in Japan. Her parents were so scared that they had her stay in America with her brother, Tyler, where she could have someone watch her. Now, she was back and ready to explore.

Akira turned to her companions, Tyler, Sam, and Mel. "So, where to first?" She smiled happily at her jet-lagged friends.

Mel shrugged tiredly, Tyler just looked to Sam, and Sam was half asleep, leaning against Tyler to keep from collapsing.

"How about we drop our stuff off at the house first, and then decide from there?" Tyler suggested.

Mel and Sam both nodded in agreement. Akira really wanted to start exploring right away, but she agreed anyway. She understood that her friends were tired and needed to rest first. The four took a cab, and on the way, Akira noticed Sam pull out her phone.

 _Is she going to talk?!_ She wondered excitedly. Her excitement died when Sam opened up the text app on her phone. She wished Sam would talk more. She only talked to people she was used to, when she was completely serious, or the occasional squeak when she was tickled. Sam was _very_ ticklish.

Akira felt a tap on her shoulder and looked up at Sam. Sam made a couple of gestures with her hands.

'I'm going to be staying with my cousins and they'll be picking me up from your house.' Akira wished Sam could stay with her, like Mel, but she knew that Sam wanted to be with family she hadn't seen in years. Akira nodded in understanding and Sam made a few more gestures.

'Don't worry. My cousins only live a few blocks from your house.'

This turned Akira's gloomy mood into one of happiness. She hugged her friend and turned to tell Mel and Tyler, but she found them both fast asleep. She giggled to herself and watched the scenery roll by.

It wasn't too long until the four friends arrived at the Mizutani household. Once there, Akira had to shake Tyler and Mel awake while Sam grabbed their bags. She finally woke up Mel and her brother, and the three of them helped Sam get the bags inside the house. Once sorted, Mel and Akira decided to look around the house while Tyler talked with Sam in the living room (Tyler did all of the talking).

Akira was exploring the house like it was a castle. She beamed at just about everything she saw, just like Mel, but once she finished touring the house, she felt sad about not being able to remember living there for years. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing.

When Akira headed to the door to see who it was, she saw that her brother had already answered the door, letting in a boy who was about the same height as Tyler. He had medium-length, black hair, onyx eyes, and wore a plain, auburn t-shirt with black basketball shorts.

The boy waved to everyone before giving Sam a big hug. She gladly returned it. When they separated, Akira noticed that the two just looked at each other, sharing a silent conversation, before they both turned and waved 'goodbye'.

"So," started Mel, breaking the silence, "What do you guys want to do?"

Akira thought for a moment. "Why don't we go looking around town? You know, get familiarized with the area."

"Sure!"

They walked over to Tyler, who was dragging their bags into their rooms.

"Tyler, can we go exploring the area?" asked Akira.

Tyler stopped what he was doing and turned to face the girls. "That's a great idea! Grab your things and let's go."

Akira and Mel grabbed their purses and the three of them began wandering around town.

The first thing Akira bought in Japan was a set of three animal charms. One was a chibi kangaroo, another was a chibi cheetah, and the last was a chibi raven. She decided to give the kangaroo to Mel, the raven to Sam the next time they saw each other, and keep the cheetah for herself. Mel bought a hoodie with the anime character Killua, from Hunter X Hunter, on the front, and Tyler bought the newest volumes of Gundam 00, Black Cat, Bleach, and Trigun.

As they were leaving the store, Akira got a weird feeling, as if she was being watched. She turned her head slightly to the side and moved her eyes around to try to locate the person staring. Sure enough, there he was.

There was a boy with crimson hair and heterochromatic eyes, like Akira, but one eye was crimson, like his hair, while the other was an orange-amber. He was about 5'8" and just stood there, staring at the three with a hint of a smirk on his lips. And might she say, Akira was uncomfortable having a stranger stare at her.

Akira quickly grabbed her brother and Mel's arms and dragged them away. When she no longer saw the boy, she stopped.

"What was that for, Akira?"

Akira turned to her brother and moved a little closer to her companions. "There was a guy staring at us back there," she whispered.

Tyler and Mel's eyes widened a fraction, then got serious.

"We should leave," suggested Mel, looking at her watch. It read 17:32. "It's getting late anyway."

Everyone agreed and they began walking home. When Akira thought about the crimson-haired boy, he suddenly seemed familiar, but she couldn't remember where from. She decided to forget about it and focus on not stepping in the backs of her brother's shoes.

Once Akira was home, she opened the set of charms she bought and put the cheetah on her phone. She grabbed the kangaroo and walked over to Mel, who was getting ready to make dinner.

"Hey, Mel..."

Mel turned around, giving a curious look. "What's up?"

Akira held out her hand with a large smile on her face. "This is for you!"

Mel looked down at Akira's hand and her face was lit up with a smile. Akira just knew she would love it.

"This is so cute! It even matches my ability!" Mel gave Akira a hug. "Thank you."

Akira giggled. "You're welcome." She watched as Mel put the charm on her phone, then got ready to help with dinner.

Thirty minutes later, Akira and Mel's curry was ready and Tyler was setting the table. They decided to eat at the coffee table in the living room so they could watch TV. Tyler sat at the right of Akira while Mel sat to her left.

It took twice as long for the three to eat the food than to cook it, and when they were done, Tyler washed the dishes while Akira fell asleep and Mel fawned over her new hoodie. Mel then woke up Akira, who was dreaming of cheetahs, kangaroos, and ravens, and the two retired to their room for the night.

 **Hey, guys! I promise the next chapter will start introducing the KnB characters. For those of you who like the Anime/Manga referenced above, sweet! I like them, too. See you next chapter! -Aloysius**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again! Demigod Fangirls here! In chapter 3, characters from KnB are finally introduced! In case you don't know or haven't figured out:**

" **English"**

"Japanese"

'Sam & Mitobe's gesture meanings'

 _Thoughts_

 **I just love Sam. She and the other Crimson Dragons are so fun to write about. And I truly comment Koganei for his amazing ability to understand Mitobe's seemingly random gestures. Now enters Sam, who also uses weird signals to communicate. How will the team cope? Just to let you know, Sam doesn't use the gestures that often, so I hope it's not too confusing. – Aloysius**

 **Once again, we do not own Kuroko no Basuke, only our OCs. Enjoy!**

Ch 3

The next morning, Sam, who had fallen asleep as soon as she finished unpacking the previous night, woke up early to help her cousin, Mitobe, make breakfast for his younger siblings. She changed clothes before heading to the kitchen where she found Mitobe getting out the ingredients.

Sam put on the (once) white apron, leaving the pastel yellow one for Mitobe, and hugged her taller cousin from behind in a silent 'good morning'. He turned to see who it was and smiled. He put on the yellow apron and the two began preparing breakfast.

It was pretty much silent until Mitobe's siblings woke up and stormed into the kitchen like a mini hurricane. They all, almost simultaneously, shouted, "Morning, Nii-san!" and, "Morning, Nee-san!" Sam thought it was cute that they already thought of her as a big sister and smiled at them. They all took a seat at the table.

After about half-an-hour, everyone had eaten and went to go do their own things. Sam and Mitobe had finished cleaning up and Sam noticed Mitobe packing a few containers of honey-soaked lemons. She walked up to him and gave him a confused look. He answered with a few gestures.

'I have basketball practice today. Wanna come?'

Sam nodded, making Mitobe smile, and the two headed out.

It didn't take long for the cousins to walk to Seirin High School. Mitobe pointed at the school.

'This is the school you'll be attending.' He 'said' before pointing to himself. 'I go here, too.'

Sam nodded and followed her cousin through the school until they came to what Sam assumed was the basketball gym. Mitobe opened the door for them and when Sam entered, she saw four boys warming up and a girl with a clipboard and a whistle around her neck. _She's probably the coach_. The door closed with a _slam_ , alerting everyone in the gym of Sam and Mitobe's arrival.

Sam felt a bit uncomfortable when everyone's attention was on her. They even gathered around her and Mitobe. She shifted a bit next to her cousin, who just smiled to everyone and waved 'hello'. One of the boys, the one who was a couple inches taller than Sam, with short, black hair, dark grey eyes, and glasses, was the first to speak up.

"Mitobe, who is this?" he asked, talking about Sam, who was slowly trying to hide behind her cousin. Everyone leaned in closer, except for a boy Sam's height with light blue hair and blank, blue eyes.

Mitobe moved aside, no longer blocking Sam, and gestured toward her. Judging by the still confused looks on their faces, Sam assumed they couldn't understand Mitobe's gestures. _This is going to take a while,_ she thought as she bowed to the group in 'hello'. She tried to smile, but it didn't work once the boy with dark red hair and eyes spoke. There was annoyance in his voice.

"Aren't you going to introduce yourself?"

Sam looked up at his with a blank face and blinked a few times. _Well_ that _was rude._ It made Sam smile when the coach intervened.

"That's not how you talk to a woman, Bakagami!" She hit him with her clipboard, making him groan in pain. "Sorry about that," she said, looking back at Sam. Sam nodded in response.

"I'm assuming you don't talk much," said the guy with glasses. Sam nodded again.

"Ah! Well, my name is Aida Riko," said the coach. "You can just call me Riko. The one with glasses is Hyuga Junpei," she said, pointing to the boy in glasses. "The idiot over there is Kagami Taiga, or Bakagami." This earned a complaint from the red-head, which was returned with a punch to the side. Sam thought his name sounded familiar, but couldn't remember where from. "And lastly, this is Tsuchida Satoshi." She pointed to a boy with squinted eyes and short, black, spiky hair.

Sam was confused when she didn't mention the boy with blue hair, so she got Mitobe's attention by tugging on his shirt and pointing to the bluenette. What happened next was probably Sam's favorite part of the introductions.

Everyone turned to where Sam was pointing, and when they noticed the person she was pointing to, they all jumped, some letting out a yell of surprise, like Kagami. Sam giggled to herself, earning a confused look from Mitobe. Nobody noticed though, because they were too busy telling the boy not to "appear out of 'nowhere'." During all of their shouting, she found out that his name was Kuroko.

After everything was settled, the team went back to trying to figure out who Sam was.

"Is she a friend?"

Sam and Mitobe both looked at each other for a moment before shaking their heads 'no'.

"Is she your sister?"

The cousins shook their heads again.

There was a pause before a look of realization dawned on Tsuchida's face. "Is she your girlfriend?"

Everyone stared wide-eyed in disbelief at Mitobe and Sam, who in turn continued to shake their heads 'no'. Some of them looked disappointed, while others looked relieved. Kuroko just continued to show no emotion. It was then a boy rushed into the gym.

"I'm here!" he shouted. When he looked to the group, he spotted Mitobe with Sam standing next to him. "Oh! Is this your cousin you said was coming from America?"

Mitobe nodded and everyone gave a look of surprise (not including Kuroko). Sam looked to her cousin in confusion. The new arrival noticed this and introduced himself.

"I'm Koganei Shinji, Mitobe's friend!" he said enthusiastically. He was slightly taller than Sam, with dark brown hair, brown eyes, and a cat-like mouth.

Right before Riko could ask Koganei why he was late for practice, Koganei ran up to Sam and poked her in the side. She let out a loud squeal and fell forward on the floor. Hyuga, Riko, Tsuchida, Kagami, and even _Kuroko_ stared wide-eyed, again, at the girl on the floor. Koganei just broke out in laughter while Mitobe gave a worried look.

"You were right, Mitobe! She _is_ ticklish!"

Sam sat up and sent a glare at Mitobe. She couldn't believe he told someone her secret - even though it wasn't much of a secret.

Just then, another surprise arrival joined the group, making Kagami jump and hide behind the others. It was a husky pup whose eyes reminded Sam of Kuroko's. The sight of the dog made her heart melt. She beckoned the little dog over and it cautiously walked over to the girl. When it was close enough, it sniffed her hand, then nuzzled against her leg happily. Sam smiled and lifted the dog up to place it in her lap, then looked up at the rest of the group. They were talking about someone not being able to show up for practice that day, someone named Izuki. Riko then started yelling to the team.

"Get back to practice!" she said. Everyone complied.

Sam grabbed the dog, carried it to the bench, and sat down, putting the dog back in her lap. She then proceeded to quietly watch the team practice.

It had been about twenty minutes before Sam got so bored that she decided to warm up herself. She ran a lap around the school, stretched, and got back just before the game's first quarter ended. She moved to sit back on the bench, but stopped when Mitobe beckoned her over. Koganei looked to Mitobe, who just nodded, then faced Sam.

"Mitobe told us that you play basketball, too," he said. Sam nodded in confirmation.

Hyuga was the next to speak. "Do you want to play? We heard you were good."

Sam wasn't expecting them to invite her to play, but she happily accepted, nodding her head energetically. She switched places with Koganei so she was on a team with Hyuga and Tsuchida. Her opponents were Mitobe, Kagami, and Kuroko. Before the game started, she made a few gestures to Koganei so he could voice them.

"Guys!" he shouted, getting everyone's attention. "She says not to go easy on her."

Everyone by Mitobe gave a look of exasperation at Koganei's ability to understand Sam's gestures and Kagami smirked. "Wasn't planning on it," he replied.

Coach Riko walked over, holding the ball in her hands. "Okay, the team who scores the most in twenty minutes only has to do half of the training regimen tomorrow!"

Kagami's smirk grew bigger, while Tsuchida sulked and Hyuga started muttering to himself. _These guys aren't taking me seriously, are they?_ Sam thought to herself. She decided to follow Kagami's example and smirked as well. _I'll show them what I can do._

Riko started the timer and released the ball into the air, signaling the start of the game.

Kagami and Tsuchida jumped for the ball, but Kagami reached it first and dribbled it down the court. Hyuga marked him, blocking his path, but Kagami quickly passed the ball to Kuroko. Kuroko tapped the ball, redirecting it toward Mitobe, and as it flew toward the silent player, it… disappeared. Everyone looked around for the ball, confused about what had happened. Even Kuroko was baffled. Little did they know, it was Sam who took the ball, mid-pass, and was all the way on the other side of the court. By the time the teams re-located the ball, Sam had already sent it through the hoop, scoring the first points of the game. Sam silently thanked Robert for helping her apply her sleight of hand to her stealing.

Everyone started at Sam in disbelief, making her smile. _Now they won't underestimate me._

"She did tell you…"

Everyone on the court turned to see a grinning Koganei and a gaping coach.

In the end, Sam's team had won. Everyone was panting heavily, but Hyuga and Tsuchida were cheering, Kagami was cursing to himself angrily, and Kuroko and Mitobe were struggling to catch their breath. Sam smiled at their behavior and sat down, tired from the game. She always did have a lack of stamina, and the long lasting game was close. Her team only won by one point. Kagami was still furious, regardless.

"I want a rematch!" he shouted, only to get his head hit with Riko's clipboard.

"Bakagami! You just played an intense game! You guys need to rest!"

Sam couldn't help but let out a small laugh. She slowly stood up, stumbled over to her bag, and packed up. She then moved over to Mitobe and they waved goodbye to everyone before leaving for home. Mitobe turned to look at Sam.

'Did you have a good time?'

Sam nodded, and the two walked on in a comfortable silence, leaving the team realizing they didn't get Sam's name.

 **I personally really like this chapter. I always found people who specialize in sleight of hand really cool, so I just had to write about a character with such ability. I hope you guys like Sam as much as I do! Needless to say, that goes for the rest of the OCs, too. - Aloysius**

 **Sam's ability has been revealed! Did anyone guess correctly with the hint given in the previous chapter? I thought it wasn't a very good hint. Oh well. Next up is Mel's chapter! Hope you like it! -DF**


	4. Chapter 4

**Yo, fellow KnB lovers! Chapter 4 has finally arrived! In this chapter, we get to know Mel a bit more and learn about her special points. The hint given about her ability is way easier to understand – in my opinion - than Sam's hint, but I bet you'd never be able to guess what she's absolutely obsessed with. It's okay though, because you'll find out in this chapter. Enjoy! – Aloysius**

 **Hey KnB nerds! Enjoy this chapter, 'cause it's my favorite one, and Mel is my favorite character! Disclaimer (for all y'all who missed the first one): WE DON'T OWN KUROKO NO BASUKE. Unfortunately, we only own the OCs. See ya later! – Maelstrom_MVF**

Ch 4

It was about noon when Mel arrived at Yosen. She was transferring there and would be attending for the rest of high school, so she couldn't wait to check it out. She thought back to that morning…

" _Akira," Mel called, trying to get her friend's attention. "Do you want to visit Yosen with me?"_

 _Akira looked at her with a frown. "Sorry, I can't. I have to help Tyler with the shopping."_

 _Mel quickly grabbed her gym bag and rushed to get her shoes on. "It's okay. I'll be back before dinner. Call me if you need anything!" With that, she began her journey to Yosen._

The blonde smiled at the memory, she was really happy this morning.

As she entered the school, Mel looked around, taking in the scenery. The buildings looked nice and well kept, and there were a few students around. _Maybe they had extra classes_ , Mel thought as she walked up to a girl slightly taller than her.

"Excuse me. Can you show me where the basketball gym is?"

The stranger gave a big smile and seemed to have hearts in her eyes. "Sure! Follow me."

It didn't take long for the two to find the gym, and the girl left Mel, who was grinning like a madman. Mel opened the doors, and the first things that hit her were the sounds of shoes squeaking and balls bouncing, and the smell of sweat.

There were several people practicing in the gym. One guy had bright purple hair and eyes and stood at a towering height of 6'10". He was watching from the sideline with half-closed eyelids and a pile of snacks in his arms.

 _Wow,_ she thought. _That guy is_ tall.

Mel looked over to the court and saw four guys playing a game of two-on-two. The first guy, she noticed, had dark hair and bangs that covered his right eye, and a mole under his left eye.

Mel completely disregarded the others when she heard the sound of wrappers rustling. She turned back to the giant and saw him opening a pack of cookies. She zoned out and her body took over. She snuck around the boy, making sure no one saw her, and when the boy wasn't paying attention, Mel grabbed a pack of cookies out of the pile. She then sat down on the bench, happily eating her loot. Right when she bit into her fifth cookie, the giant spoke.

"Muro-chin~, my cookies are gone~." His voice sounded bored and childish mixed together.

The dark-haired boy that Mel noticed earlier turned to the purple-haired boy, a bit confused. "Isn't it because you ate them?"

The giant shook his head. "I had a whole pack before~."

The boy known as 'Muro-chin' heard Mel trying to suppress her giggles and raised an eyebrow. He moved so that he could see behind his purple-haired friend and found Mel eating her eleventh cookie, with four still left in her hand and an empty box next to her.

Mel gave 'Muro-chin' a smile and quickly finished the cookies. She brushed the crumbs off her hands and stood so that everyone could see her. "Sup!"

Everyone's attention was on Mel now, so she decided to take a look at the other three players she had forgotten about. One of the boys had black hair, and piercing, grey, half-opened eyes. He had a look of mild distaste on his face and was the second tallest person in the person in the group after the purple giant. Next to him stood a boy who was the same height as Henry back in America. He had had medium-length, ash blonde hair and small, hazel irises. On his face was a bit of a scowl. Lastly, there was a boy who was quite broad with very rough facial features, short, spiky hair and brown eyes. He was several inches shorter than the purple giant, but still quite tall.

"Who might you be?" 'Muro-chin' asked.

It sounded so polite that Mel had the feeling that he was putting on a facade, but she answered with a smile anyway. "Having the girl introduce herself first? That's not very gentlemanly."

Suddenly, the boy with short, spiky hair jumped in front of 'Muro-chin', trying to make himself more noticeable - which wasn't necessary. He had hearts in his eyes. "My name is Okamura Kenichi! Age 18, blood type A! My birthday is September 1st and I'm single!" Okamura continued to shout out his personal information and Mel started to just ignore him completely.

The second tallest member of the group finally got Okamura's attention. "Thou hast lost the stranger's attention."

Okamura froze and the blonde decided to join in, continuing to belittle the big man. "Liu's right, but it's not surprising. You always seem to scare girls away at first sight. I'd say this is an improvement."

By then, Okamura was crying hysterically. "Liu, Fukui! You should respect your captain, not put him down!"

The three then started arguing and Mel decided to tune out all three of them out. She turned back to 'Muro-chin' and gave a smile. "So…"

The boy looked confused. "So… what?"

"Are you going to tell me your name?"

'Muro-chin' gave a little smirk, but complied. "I'm Himuro Tatsuya."

Suddenly, it clicked. Mel remembered why 'Muro-chin', or Himuro, now that she knew his name, seemed so familiar. He was one of the guys Alex briefly introduced to Mel to when she learned basketball under her. She also introduced the rest of the Crimson Dragons to him and his 'brother', Kagami Taiga, when they visited Alex from Florida in America. Mel smirked.

" **It's been a while, Tatsuya!"** Mel said loudly in English, gaining the attention of the three who were arguing. The purple-haired boy turned his attention to her, too. **"When did you move from America?"**

Everyone was so surprised at Mel's use of English that Mel inwardly started laughing at the faces that they made. Okamura started crying again - something about how Tatsuya got all the girls - while Liu and Fukui bluntly told him to shut up. The giant stayed silent and looked uninterested. Tatsuya was the first to voice his thoughts.

" **How did you-?"** He couldn't finish his question as Mel cut him off.

" **We met back in America. Alex introduced me and my friends to you and Tiger."**

Tatsuya looked confused. **"You mean Taiga?"**

Mel nodded. **"Yup!"**

Tatsuya seemed a little taken aback by Mel's comment, then realized that they were speaking in English. He hadn't even noticed. **"You speak English, too?"**

The girl giggled. **"I did say that we met in America, didn't I? You can't really survive in America if you don't speak English."**

Finally, Fukui spoke up. "Japanese, please."

Liu nodded. "That would be very much appreciated."

Mel and Tatsuya turned to the other four in the room, looked at each other, and then started chuckling. "Sorry about that," they said simultaneously. They looked back at each other and gave a questioning look. The two just shook it off and returned their attention back to the conversation.

"We met in America," Mel summed up.

Liu and Fukui nodded, and Okamura sulked.

Finally, the purple-haired boy spoke up. "Who are you? And why did you steal my cookies?"

Mel grinned. "Terrence Mel, pleased to meet you. What's your name?"

There was a long pause as the boy slowly ate a piece of chocolate. At last, he swallowed and answered. "Murasakibara Atsushi. You owe me a box of cookies."

"Yeah, well, you shouldn't carry any cookies with you where I can see them." Mel smirked. "It's dangerous for the cookies."

 **Mel's obsession revealed! Bet you never guessed it was cookies! Follow, favorite, and review… We love reviews almost as much as Mel loves cookies :D – Maelstrom_MVF**

 **Sorry this chapter was a bit short. Now, believe it or not, when we came up with Mel's obsession, Maelstrom and I were in the middle of an engineering class. Same for Akira. For Sam's, we were at home and I was eating noodles. They were completely random ideas that popped into our heads at random times because of random things. Akira's obsession will be hinted in a few chapters and we're not quite sure when we'll hint at Sam's, but we hope you like their odd sides. In the next chapter, Akira and Sam attend their first day at Seirin and Akira's special ability is finally revealed. But that's not all. Akira's days before the crash are slowly unraveled as she gets closer to her old friends. Hope you keep reading! –Aloysius**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, guys! I decided to post a bit earlier for this chapter because… just because. I'm sorry if the story is taking a while to progress. At about chapter 11 or so, the fanfic will start following the manga. For the chapters until then, we're continuing showing off the OCs and such.**

 **Yay! Aki and Sam are finally at Seirin! Sam is already showing off her weird side. Really, I just don't like how the uniform's skirts are so high… now it sounds weird. You'll understand what I mean when you read the first paragraph. Anyway, I kinda hope you guys read these author's notes up at the top and bottom of the story. If you don't… never mind, you won't even see this if you don't. Anyway, Akira shows off her special ability in this chapter and Tyler's connection to the Crimson Dragons really shows near the end. You also get to get a hint to who Aki's pair is! Hope you like this chapter! – Aloysius**

 **Hehehe… Yo! In this chapter, there are hints to certain characters knowing that they're in a story in certain scenes. This may or may not be the only time we do this, so I just wanted to mention it. Hope ya enjoy the chapter! – Maelstrom_MVF**

Ch 5

It was finally Akira and Sam's first day at Seirin, and they were bursting with excitement. They met each other at the school's gates in the morning before school started and Akira gave a confused look to Sam. Sam was wearing the male's version of the uniform instead of the female version.

"Sam, what are you wearing?" Akira asked her quiet friend.

Sam shrugged. She pointed to Akira's skirt and shook her head. 'I don't like skirts.'

Akira seemed a bit skeptical about Sam's choice of uniform. "Did you get permission from the principal?" She got a nod in response, which wasn't surprising. Sam, though not one for many words, could talk Rumpelstiltskin into giving up all of his treasures for only a penny in return. The principal was nothing to Sam and her wits.

Sam leaned closer to Akira and whispered in her ear. "The principal said to make sure no one finds out that I'm a girl."

Akira nodded in understanding and remembered something. "Oh!" She pulled out the raven charm she bought on their first day in Japan. "This is for you!"

Sam took it with sparkling eyes and attached it to her phone. She gave Akira a hug and the two stood waiting from their guide to arrive. The principal said that he would send a student to show them around the school before classes started. After a few minutes, a boy with short, black hair and narrowed, onyx eyes, jogged up to the girls. When he reached them, he gave a smile.

"Hey! Are you two the new transfer students?" He received a nod from both girls. "Ok. Well, I'll be your guide. My name is Izuki Shun," he greeted. "And you are?"

Akira and Sam bowed. "I'm Mizutani Akira," greeted Akira with a smile. "And this is my friend, Lyons Sam." Sam gave a smile as well.

"Great! I'll be showing you two around the school, so please follow me." Izuki took the girls around the school; he took them to the cafeteria, quad, the different club rooms, the gyms, and lastly, around the classrooms. Finally, he asked them what class they were in.

"We're in class 1-B," relied Akira.

Izuki looked slightly surprised, but went back to his smile in a second. He mumbled to himself as he led Sam and Akira to their class. "They're in the same class as Kagami and Kuroko."

Sam had caught what the boy said and smiled. With those two in her class, school wouldn't be so boring.

When the three made it to the door to the classroom, Izuki turned to face the girls. "Classes are going to start soon, so just wait here for the teacher to call you in to introduce you to the class. I have to hurry and get to my own class, but maybe I'll see you later." With that, Izuki ran off as the bell rang. Not too long after, the teacher arrived and greeted the girls.

"You must be the new transfer students." The girls nodded. "Good." The teacher walked into the classroom and signaled for the girls to follow. "Class! We have two new transfer students joining us today." He turned to Akira and Sam. "Please introduce yourselves." Akira and Sam stepped forward, but before Akira could speak, Kagami jumped out of his seat with a look of surprise.

"What are you doing here?!" he screamed, pointing to Sam, gaining the entire class's attention. He sat back down when the stares started to bother him and Akira answered for Sam.

"My name is Mizutani Akira, and this is my friend, Lyons Sam." Kuroko's eyes went wide after hearing Akira introduce herself, drawing Akira's attention. She looked at Kuroko. He seemed familiar in some way, but she couldn't remember from where. Akira faced the entire class again and continued. "He doesn't talk much, so if any of you have any questions for him, I can answer them for you."

Instantly, hands shot up into the air.

"Are you single?" asked one of the boys. Akira and Sam both face-palmed. They had been expecting that.

"Yes, both of us are single, but neither of us want to go out with you." Sam smirked at Akira's straightforwardness, and the boy flinched at the thought of going out with another guy - which he thought Sam was - then looked down with tears in his eyes from getting rejected by Akira. Sam pointed at a dark-haired girl with her hand raised.

The girl cleared her throat and asked, "Um…Why are your eyes so weird?" Akira just smiled.

"They're heterochromatic, meaning that they're different colors. They are like this because of my awesome DNA that you can't hope to compare with. Next question."

Finally, Kuroko raised his hand and asked his question before Akira could call on him, thinking she didn't see him. "Mizutani-san, do you remember me?" Akira jumped - she actually _had_ seen the bluenette - and peered at him across the room, thinking.

"Do I know you?"

Kuroko smiled (read: deadpanned). "Yes, we both went to Teiko Middle School," he said. "You used to play basketball with me and our team during lunch. Do you remember?"

Akira frowned. This was one of the times she actually regretted her amnesia. "Well… no. After my second year of middle school, I was flying to America and my plane crashed." Gasps were heard throughout the class. "I lost three years of memory, so I don't remember anything that happened in middle school."

Kuroko was visibly disappointed. "I used to tutor you in Japanese Literature."

Kagami stared at his blue-haired friend as if he were insane. "You were a tutor?!" Kuroko merely ignored him.

Finally, the teacher stood up. "Alright, that's enough questions! Lyons-san, you will sit next to Kagami-kun, and Mizutani-san will sit behind you." The two girls bowed to the class and went to their seats, ready for the lesson.

It was finally lunch, so when the class left the room, Kagami and Kuroko turned to Sam and Akira.

Kagami was the first to speak. "Lyons-san, I thought you were a girl."

Sam paused for a second before she broke out into laughter. The rest of the group gave her confused looks. "Ba-Bakagami…" she breathed through her laughs. Kagami didn't quite hear it, but Akira and Kuroko did, and Kuroko was surprised to hear something come out of Sam's mouth. Sam stood up straight again and brushed herself off. "I am."

Kagami's eyes went wide. "You can talk?!" This time it was Akira who was laughing her heart out. Sam's eyes went wide when she realized she had spoken to the boy. She nodded after she couldn't find a reason why she did.

"Then why-?"

"She doesn't like skirts," Akira replied after she regained her composure. "And I introduced her as a guy because the principal said that if she wears the male uniform, no one can know that she's a girl."

Kagami and Kuroko nodded in understanding and after getting everything straight about Sam and her uniform, Kuroko asked Sam and Akira to join Kagami and himself in a two-on-two game of basketball. "We've seen some of what Lyons-san can do, but we haven't seen you play yet," he explained.

Kagami nodded. "You do play, right?"

Akira gave an expression of mock offense. "Of course I play! You don't think Kuroko-kun would have said so if I didn't, do you? In fact, I bet that Sam and I can beat the two of you. Loser buys dinner!"

Kuroko showed a bit of surprise. "I never told you my name."

Everyone else in the group took a few seconds to process the information Kuroko had given them before their eyes widened in surprise.

"I guess not…" Akira didn't really have an explanation for her sudden recollection. "I just… remembered."

Kuroko gave a small smile. Kagami then ruined the moment.

"So, you think you two can beat me and Kuroko at our own game?" he asked with a smirk on his face.

You could practically see the fire in Akira and Sam's eyes as they accepted the challenge. "You bet we do."

The four raced out of the room and down to the basketball gym. Akira got there first, and started jumping up and down, yelling, "I won!" Her friends looked confused.

"Won what?" asked Kagami.

"Wait, I thought it was a race. The Narrator said we were racing!" Everyone just looked even more confused. "Never mind," sighed Akira. "Let's play basketball!"

Kuroko pulled out a basketball and tossed it to Kagami. Kagami then passed the ball to Akira. "Each basket will count as one point. You can have the ball first."

Akira gave an evil smile. "You just dug your own grave!"

When everyone was ready, Akira dribbled the ball down the court, but was quickly guarded by Kagami. Kuroko ran up behind Akira to tap the ball out of her hand, but Akira already saw him coming. She pass the ball to Sam, who was open, and Sam got into position to shot. Kagami ran back and jumped to block Sam's shot, but the girl gripped the ball and seemed to make it disappear. In reality, Sam passed the ball to Akira, but the boys didn't find out until the last minute. Akira zoomed past everyone and shot the ball into the hoop, scoring the first point. Kagami and Kuroko looked at the girls with wide eyes.

Akira and Sam smirked. "How do you like us now?"

Twenty minutes later, Riko and the rest of the seniors walked into the gym. "Hey guys!" Koganei half-shouted. "We heard that you two were playing a pick-up game down here, so Riko decided that we should come and watch!"

Kiyoshi looked at the four freshmen and saw that they were all drenched in sweat. "How long have you been playing?"

The exhausted players had stopped by now, and Kuroko spoke up, panting. "I think it's been about twenty minutes. The score is 0-2, in the girls' favor." All the seniors except for Mitobe gaped.

"But… how?" wondered Hyuga. Mitobe only smiled proudly at his cousin and nodded to her. Sam nodded back.

Kagami got fed up with all the talking. "Come on, guys! We're only half done, and I'm hungry!"

Kuroko looked sidelong at his friend. "You're always hungry, Kagami-kun, but you're right. We should continue."

Hyuga looked at the time. "Lunch is almost over, though."

Riko nodded her head in agreement. "I'll give you guys five minutes to finish your game. We'll keep score."

Suddenly, Kiyoshi remembered something. "Oh yeah! We brought you lunch!"

Kagami had a look of pure joy on his face, and so did Akira. Sam and Kuroko just looked uninterested.

"Deal!" said Kagami enthusiastically, and the game continued.

For the last five minutes, Kagami tried and tried to score at least one point so he and Kuroko wouldn't lose, but the girls were fierce in defending their victory. It ended 0-2. Akira and Sam won. Kagami sulked and tried to drown his disappointment by scarfing down his giant sandwich.

"I guess you owe us dinner," reminded Akira.

After classes were over, Akira and Sam walked up to Kuroko and Kagami as they were getting ready to go to basketball practice. "Where're you guys goin'?"

"Basketball practice," Kagami answered.

Kuroko nodded. "Are you two coming?"

Akira grabbed Sam's arm. "You bet!"

The four walked to the basketball gym together and found that the seniors were already there. Everyone turned to the new arrivals and gave a questioning look when they saw Sam. Nobody wanted to come out and ask why she was wearing a male's uniform, but after a minute, Koganei voiced everyone's thoughts.

"I thought you were a girl."

Everyone in the room froze. They turned to look at Sam to see if she would have any reaction to their friend's question, but Sam just sighed.

Akira started laughing again. "Kagami said the same thing!" Seeing as Sam didn't blow up in anger, everyone let out a sigh in relief. Akira turned to Sam. "You trust them with your secret, right?" Sam nodded. "Okay!" Akira turned to the team. "Yes, Sam is a girl. She doesn't like skirts so she made a deal with the principal where she can wear the male uniform if we don't let the school know that she's really female."

Hyuga stepped up. "Sam?"

Akira facepalmed. "You didn't tell them your name, did you, Sam?" Sam shook her head and Akira sighed. "Her name is Lyons Sam and my name is Mizutani Akira. Beware!" She pointed at the team as she introduced herself - which confused everyone. Sam just facepalmed, mentally wishing Tyler hadn't started that weird habit within the Crimson Dragons. "We wish to join the boy's basketball team!" Everyone was shocked at Akira's statement.

Riko stepped forward. "Why do you want to join the _boy's_ basketball team?"

Akira thought about it for a moment before answering. "Because it seems more fun!"

Riko blanched, but thought about Akira's request seriously. Finally, she came to a decision. "Okay. You can join the basketball team if you show us how well you play and pass our standards."

Akira and Sam gave a confused face. "But you already saw us play during lunch." The seniors were once again surprised at Akira's comment.

"That was you two playing against Kuroko and Kagami?" Kiyoshi asked the girls. He got two nods in return.

"You're in!"

Everyone turned to Riko in surprise while Sam and Akira smirked. They walked into the locker room and changed for practice. Because they didn't have their Seirin jerseys yet, they changed into their crimson and teal jerseys from their American team that they carried around everywhere. Akira's number was 4, while Sam's was 00. Both had 'CRIMSON DRAGONS' written on the front and their names on the back. After changing, they joined the rest of the team - who eyed their jerseys with mild curiosity.

After practice, the four freshman walked to Kagami and Kuroko's favorite fast-food restaurant, Maji Burger.

"Okay, guys," Kagami sighed, "What do you want?"

Kuroko responded immediately. "I'll have a vanilla shake." Sam requested a chocolate one. Finally, Kagami looked at Akira.

"Let's see… Can I get 20 cheeseburgers and a large Dr. Pepper?"

Kagami gawked at her, then went to the counter to order. "Give us two large shakes - one vanilla and one chocolate - a large Dr. Pepper, a large Mountain Dew, and forty cheeseburgers."

The cashier looked unfazed by Kagami's order. "Twice as many burgers than usual today, Kagami-kun?" Kagami nodded and pointed to his friends, then took the pile of burgers to a table. Sam brought the drinks. Once everyone was seated, Akira and Kagami looked approvingly at each other's small mountain of food. Sam and Kuroko looked approvingly at each other's single milkshake. The four grinned at one another.

Akira pulled out her phone and held it up. "Kuroko, Kagami, can we get your numbers?" Kagami and Kuroko nodded and pulled out their phones. Akira and Sam gave the boys their numbers and Kagami and Kuroko gave theirs. Akira put her phone away and continued eating. "We should do this more often," she suggested.

Kagami nodded. "Yeah, but next time, I ain't buyin'."

Everyone laughed at Kagami's comment as they enjoyed their food.

 **Akira's ability was probably the easiest to guess based off of the charms in chapter 2. Can't wait till you find out about** _ **her**_ **obsession! It may not show through too often, but it's there and it's strong. Keep reading to find out what it is! How did you like the part about their visit to Maji Burger? We thought that it would be funny if Kagami had a rival with his appetite. Hope you liked it, too. – Aloysius**

 **Yes, Kuroko and Akira were friends at Teiko! Who would have guessed he was a Japanese Literature tutor… And of course he had to have his signature vanilla shake! - Maelstrom_MVF**


	6. Chapter 6

**It's Mel's first day of school! How will she deal with her new school (and friends), and will she get a place on the basketball team? Read on to find out! - Maelstrom_MVF**

 **Mel gets some love in this chapter. Because she goes to Yosen, which isn't showed very often – or at all – until the actually match against Seirin, Mel might not show up all the time, so this chapter is solely to you! Enjoy! - Aloysius**

Ch 6

It was Mel's first day at Yosen and she was excited to see her new friends again. Yosen's boys' basketball team was quite interesting, to be honest, and Mel couldn't help but want to get to know them better - more specifically Tatsuya and Murasakibara. She walked into the principal's office to get her schedule.

"Oh, you must be Terrence-san," said the principal. Mel nodded in confirmation. "It's nice to meet you. Here's your schedule, and your guide should be here any minute. Actually, here he is now!" The door opened to reveal the tall, purple-haired boy that Mel had met a few days previously. The boy glared at Mel, who smirked in reply.

"Good morning, Murasakibara-kun. Have any cookies for me?"

Murasakibara hesitated for a second, then said, "No. You owe me a cookie, not the other way around."

The principal was clearly confused. "The two of you have already met? Well, no matter. I suppose you ought to go take that tour now. Thank you for coming to our school, Terrence-san."

Mel bowed, turned around, and followed the giant out of the office. "I have no problem with you being my guide, but please do your job well, guide-kun!"

Murasakibara gave the girl a glare, then turned around and grumbled to himself as he led Mel around the school. They saw the gyms, the cafeteria (where they stopped for several minutes so Murasakibara could buy sweets from the vending machine), and finally the classrooms themselves.

"What class are you in?"

Mel consulted her schedule. "Class 1-C."

Murasakibara groaned. "Follow me. You'll be in my class, along with Muro-chin~." The blonde grinned and walked with the giant to their class. Murasakibara opened the door and walked to his seat, while Mel remained at the front of the room.

The teacher greeted her. "I take it you're the new transfer student?" Mel nodded and the teacher turned back to the class. "Class, this is Terrence Mel-san. She's transferring here from America. Terrence-san, why don't you sit there, in the seat next to Himuro-kun."

Himuro waved to her and Mel half-skipped to the seat to the left of the black-haired boy. Mel noticed that when she took her seat next to Himuro, all of the girls started whispering. It didn't matter though. Mel tended to tune out fangirls. It was one of her specialties.

After class, Mel joined Himuro and Murasakibara during lunch, telling them about America, her friends, her plans to join the basketball team, and anything else that popped into her head. When she mentioned the tour Murasakibara gave her and their stop at the cafeteria for snacks, Himuro interrupted the conversation. "That reminds me! Atsushi, did you give Terrence-san her welcoming present?"

The man-child sulked. "Do I have to? I don't want to, Muro-chin~!" Himuro and Mel each raised an eyebrow at him. Murasakibara sighed and grumbled as he reached into his bag and pulled out… a small package of M&M cookies.

Mel grabbed the box, and was halfway finished with it before she paused. The blonde glared accusingly at the giant. "You said you didn't have any cookies for me! Liar!"

"But they were my cookies…"

After a couple moments of awkward silence, Himuro asked, "Terrence-san, would you like to sit with us at lunch?"

Mel immediately nodded and swallowed her last cookie. "I'd love to! However, if we're going to be friends and potential teammates, you have to call me Mel. You too, Murasakibara-kun."

Himuro gave a slight smile. "Very well, you can call me Tatsuya, and I doubt Atsushi would care much if you called him by his first name too."

Mel smiled. "'Kay! And by the way, I've already been calling you by your first names!"

Atsushi cleared his throat gaining Mel and Himuro's attention. "Can I call you Terre-chin instead?" Mel nodded. "Muro-chin, can we get lunch now? I'm hungry!"

After school, the trio walked to basketball practice. Mel jogged over to greet the other basketball players, whom she had been talking with at lunch.

"Yo!"

Okamura's eyes sparkled at the sound of Mel's voice. "Terrence-chan!" He jumped forward to grab Mel, but she stepped out of the way at the last minute, causing the captain to fall flat on his face.

Liu and Fukui walked up to Okamura. "I think that you're more talented at driving girls away than playing basketball."

Okamura then proceeded to cry hysterically, and soon enough, the coach entered the gym. Mel recognized her as Masako Araki, who was also the P.E. teacher. Tatsuya explained to the coach why Mel was there and the blonde girl was called over to discuss her plans.

"You want to join the team, huh?" Mel nodded. "If you can beat Himuro-kun, you can join. If not, you'll have to leave."

Mel smiled. "I won't let you down. This should be a piece of cake." Everyone within earshot raised their eyebrows at Mel's obvious show of arrogance. After all, Himuro was one of the two aces of the team. If the newcomer was this confident…

Mel grabbed her bag and rushed into the locker room. When she came back out, everyone turned to stare at her. Mel was wearing a red and teal basketball jersey that had the words "CRIMSON DRAGONS" written on the front and her name on the back. A number 6 shown on both sides. With her hair pulled back in a ponytail, she reminded Himuro of Alex.

"I'm ready!" Mel said as she skipped onto the court.

Himuro was already in position for the one-on-one and passed the ball to Mel. "Ladies first," he said. That was his first mistake.

Mel smirked. "You just dug your own grave."

Mel dribbled the ball few times to get a feel of it, then suddenly got into shooting position. Himuro was a bit surprised by Mel's sudden movement, but quickly composed himself. He jumped a bit, thinking she was faking, and got ready to take the ball when she tried to get past, but that was his second mistake. Mel really was going for the shot; she was just delaying her timing to throw Tatsuya off. She launched into the air and shot the ball into the hoop. Everyone in the room was more than a little surprised at the fact Himuro miscalculated.

Himuro grabbed the ball and got into position again. "Nice shot."

Mel smiled. "Thank you!"

Himuro quickly dribbled toward Mel, trying to scare her with his sudden break, but Mel looked seriously at her opponent. He faked to the left and headed to the right, but Mel didn't fall for his tricks. When he tried to shoot the ball, Mel jumped up and easily grabbed the ball out of the air. Now, everyone had their mouths hanging open. Mel dribbled down the court and got ready to shoot, but Himuro was fast and positioned himself right in front of Mel before she could jump. Sadly for Himuro, his efforts were futile. Mel jumped, followed by Himuro, but the girl jumped much higher, and despite her short stature, launched the ball several inches above Tatsuya's hand. It landed in the hoop with a 'swish'.

Mel turned to Himuro. "How do you like me now?"

When the match ended, Mel had won, 25-21, and everyone on the team had a newfound respect for Mel. Araki caught Mel's eye and gestured for her to come over.

As the two women approached the locker room, Araki said:

"I don't know where or how you learned to play like that, but you're more than welcome to play on this team. It's no small feat to defeat Himuro-kun."

Mel was grinning from ear to ear. "Thanks! As a matter of fact, Tatsuya and I had the same teacher, Garcia Alexandra. By the way, if you don't have an extra uniform right now, I can keep on my old jersey from my American school."

"We have one, but I'm not sure it will fit you. Just wear your own jersey for now and we'll get you your own Yosen jersey as soon as possible." Araki banged her sword on the floor once she saw that everyone was just standing, listening to the conversation. "What are you doing standing around? 40 suicides, right now! Stretch when you're done, then we'll have a practice game. Get to it!"

When practice was finally over, Mel met with Tatsuya and Atsushi, and the three of them walked together to Murasakibara's favorite ice cream shop. Tatsuya ordered butter pecan, Atsushi had one scoop each of blue moon, chocolate, and black cherry. Mel (unsurprisingly) bought one scoop of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream and one of cookies & cream. Tatsuya offered to pay for everything, so Mel volunteered to treat everyone the next day. Apparently, the two boys went to the same shop after practice nearly every day - only Murasakibara ordered ice cream every time. The trio sat in the shop for a couple hours, talking about practice and eating ice cream. After a while, they decided to go home. Atsushi turned left after leaving the shop, but Tatsuya and Mel both veered right. They continued to talk to one another and were surprised when they got on the same train to Tokyo.

"You live in Tokyo, too?" asked Mel.

"It's a long way from the school, but yes." The friends got off at the same stop, walked down the same street, then paused in amazement when they arrived at their destinations.

"This is really weird! I live right across the street from you!" exclaimed Tatsuya.

"That's awesome! Maybe we can head to school together tomorrow?"

"Sounds good to me."

Mel said goodbye to her new friend and entered the house. She couldn't wait to tell Akira all about her first day at Yosen.

 **Sooooo… What did y'all think? Mel's ability has been shown, and she got onto the team without much trouble. Then there's the part about Mel and Tatsuya being neighbors XD Not sure, but I think that was my idea. Anyway, tell us what you think in a review! - Maelstrom_MVF**

 **I'm pretty sure it** _ **was**_ **your idea to make Tatsuya her neighbor, Mael. Anyway, it seems Mel is going to get close to a certain Yosen player. Not going to name names. There will be Mel X _ moments here and there, just like Akira X _ and Sam X _ moments. One is coming up in the next chapter! Oh, and I am sorry, but I** **don't** **think that I can post the next chapter until Sep 12 or so… Sorry. Hope to see you next time! - Aloysius**


	7. Chapter 7

**Early update! So, last time, I said I couldn't update again until September, but I found time now. The next update won't come till around the 29** **th** **of August or so. Enjoy! - Aloysius**

 **This is going to be a longer chapter. Akira and Sam have to do something to officially be a part of the team, and it's not what the boys had to do. Also, there's a hint of a pairing that may or may not occur in the future. Not saying it's gonna happen, though. You'll just have to wait and see :) Enjoy! - Maelstrom_MVF**

 **She remembers! That's all I'm going to say. - Aloysius**

 **Oh, by the way, I'm gonna start telling a basketball joke at the beginning of each chapter!**

 **Q: Why are basketball players messy eaters?**

 **A: Because they're always dribbling. - Maelstrom_MVF**

Ch 7

Akira wasn't really sure what to say when she actually saw Kuroko play from the bench. She had seen him during the games she played against him, while she was on the court, but when she saw him from bench, it was like a whole different experience. It all started when Akira and Sam visited Riko to officially sign up for the boys' basketball team.

The bell rang, signaling the beginning of lunch. Akira sprung out of her seat and grabbed Sam's arm. She dragged her out of the classroom, much to Kuroko, Kagami, and Sam's surprise. She dragged her friend to Riko's classroom and slammed her hand down on Riko's desk, scaring the senior. "We would like to officially sign up for the basketball team!" Akira shouted.

Riko put down her PSP and looked at the two girls in front of her. She smirked. "You can join the team if you can find a pair of shoes Kagami's size."

Akira froze. She was absolutely _not_ expecting such an awkward request. She turned to Sam, who just nodded with a yawn. Akira turned back to Riko. "Okay then…"

Riko clapped her hands together. "Good! I'll be waiting for a picture as proof!" She went back to playing her game.

Akira sighed and grabbed Sam's arm again. She dragged the girl back to their class where they found Kuroko and Kagami still confused. Akira sad down at her desk and dropped her head down on its surface. "Ahhhhh~" she drawled.

"What was that?" asked Kagami.

Akira lifted her head to answer. "We have to find a pair of shoes your size if Sam and I want to officially join the team." She dropped her head back down when she finished.

Kagami scoffed. "That'll be difficult. At least it's better that what we had to do."

"What did you guys have to do?" Akira asked, her interest peaked.

"We had to shout our goal from the roof to the whole school, and if we fail to fulfill it, we'll have to confess to the person we like without any clothes on," answered Kuroko.

There was a moment of awkward silence after Kuroko's statement, but Akira quickly broke it. She abruptly lifted her head off of the desk. "Thanks guys. That made me feel a lot better," she said sincerely. Sam nodded in agreement. Akira sighed. "Well, I can't wait to start our search.

It was finally the end of school, and there wasn't any practice afterwards, so Akira and Sam decided to start their search for the shoes immediately, but first, the two decided to ask Mel for help. The two girls headed to the school and eventually, they found it. They asked someone directions to the basketball gym and stood nervously in front of the door. Sam and Akira didn't know if they were interrupting the team's practice, but they decided that standing around would accomplish nothing, so Akira opened the door. They found three boys practicing their shooting. Akira walked into the building, making herself noticeable to the guys. They turned to her with confused faces.

"Who are you?" asked the ash-blonde.

The tall, broad boy with black hair sulked and cried bullet-sized tears. "I bet they're more of Himuro's fans!"

Akira and Sam thought that the name 'Himuro' sounded familiar, much like Kagami's did, but they pushed the feeling off for later. "We're not sure who this 'Himuro' is, but do you know a girl named Mel?"

All of the boy's gave a mild look of surprise, then the tallest male returned to having a cold look on his face. "The lady is not now present."

Akira blanched at the boy's awkward speech, but got the message. The girls bowed before they left the building and got on a train back to Tokyo.

"I guess Mel can't help us," Akira sighed. "We'll have to find the shoes ourselves."

When the girls got off of the train, they headed to the first sports store they saw. They looked in the shoe section, but had no luck finding Kagami's shoe size. Then they realized, they didn't even know what it was. Akira hit her head and pulled out her phone. She dialed Kagami's number and placed the phone to her ear. After a few rings, Kagami picked up.

" _Yo."_

Akira let out a small giggle. "Sup! I have a question for you."

There was a pause. _"What kinda question?"_

"What's your shoe size?" Akira asked, not even caring how stupid she sounded.

" _Why do you want to know my shoe size?!"_ Kagami yelled in exasperation.

Akira sighed. "Sam and I have to find a pair of shoes your size to join the basketball team, remember?"

" _Oh, right."_ Kagami told the girls his shoe size, and before he could say anything else, Akira hung up on him.

"Got his shoe size!" Akira said happily to Sam, who just shook her head. They proceeded to search the shelves for a pair of shoes that would fit Kagami.

As Akira began to cross the street to get to the next store, she didn't notice the guy on the motorcycle coming her way. She turned when she heard someone shout and completely froze in fear when she saw the bike. Flashes of her plain crashing filled her mind and her body refused to move. Before the bike could hit her, she was abruptly pulled out of the way.

Akira slowly got over her shock and realized that she was shacking. She turned to her savior and found Sam breathing heavily, tightly clutching Akira's shoulders.

"Please be more careful," she whispered between breaths. Akira nodded, hugging her friend.

After three days of searching, Akira and Sam had no luck. They couldn't find a single store that had Kagami's shoe size. Akira had just given up and decided to tell Riko. When the bell signaling the end of school rang, she dropped her head on Sam's shoulder and sighed. Kuroko and Kagami walked up the the girls and Kagami gave a questioning look.

"Couldn't find the shoes?" he asked.

Akira shooked her head, messing up her hair.

Kagami sighed. "Come on, let's tell the coach."

The four walked to the gym and found the seniors already there, waiting for them.

"Did you find the shoes?" Riko asked with a smirk on her face.

Akira shook her head with a dejected face and everyone was about to make a comment until they noticed Sam nodding her head. Everyone's jaws dropped. Sam opened her abnormally bulky bag and pulled out a shoe box. She handed it to Riko, who opened it with awe. It was indeed a pair of shoes Kagami's size. Everyone looked at Sam like she was crazy.

"Where did you find these?!" everyone asked simultaneously.

Sam just shrugged. She pulled out her phone and showed everyone an online shopping page with a pair of shoes Kagami's size displayed on the screen. No one really thought that the girls would get the shoes, so they were quite impressed.

Riko laughed half-heartedly. "You know… I was kidding about getting the shoes. You guys were already part of the team."

Akira gave a look of shock and fell to her knees. "All that time… I could have been playing… gone."

Riko patted Akira's back and Sam went to get changed. After Akira got changed as well, she headed to the bench and sat down. The guys had already started a game, so she and Sam watched until Riko subbed them in. From the bench, Akira really got to watch her teammates play on the court. She was amazed at her senpais' skills, Kagami's power and jumps - they reminded Akira of Mel's jumps - but who amazed her the most was Kuroko. From the bench, she could see everything. Kuroko was amazing, with his low presence and his reformed passing; he was indeed a phantom on the court. Suddenly it hit her. Akira clutched her head as memories of Kuroko from her time at Teiko came flooding back. Sam was the first to notice and clutched her friend's shoulders. Soon, everyone was surrounding Akira and the pain slowly subsided. Once the pain was gone Akira looked up and made eye contact with blue orbs.

"I remember." Everyone was confused at Akira's sudden comment, but Sam and Kuroko quickly understood.

"What do you remember?" Kuroko asked.

Akira smiled at the bluenette. "I remember the time we had at Teiko." Akira took her hand and patted Kuroko's head. Sam saw a hint of a smile grace Kuroko's lips. Akira put her hand down, "I don't remember everything, though. Only the parts with you are clear." Akira gave a perplexed look. "If I try to think harder, I only see blurs of a bunch of colors. Did we happen to play with a pack of crayons?"

The shadow gave a small smile. He was secretly happy for being the first person Akira remembered. When he caught himself thinking this, his curiosity was peaked. Was he falling for the perky redhead? He pushed the thought off to the side as Akira stood up from the bench.

"It feels good to remember again!" she shouted, "But it feels even better when the person forgotten about doesn't hate you for forgetting!" Akira pulled Kuroko into a tight hug. Kuroko took a moment to process what was happening and carefully hugged Akira back. The rest of the guys in the gym just looked at Kuroko with hits of jealousy, wondering why the bluenette seemed to get all of the girls.

After a moment, Akira let go and thrusted her fist in the air. "Now, let's play!" She grabbed the basketball on the floor and shot it into the hoop. Eventually, the rest of the team picked up Akira's enthusiasm and continued the game.

After practice, Akira was walking with Sam, Kuroko, and Kagami. They were heading to Maji Burger for a snack. After everyone ordered their food - in Kuroko and Sam's case, their drinks - they sat down at a table and conversed. Kagami started them off.

"You scared the heck out of us when you slumped over clutching your head," he said with a mouthful of food. Kuroko nodded while Sam, who ended up sitting next to Kagami, smacked the redhead's arm.

"Ouch! What was that for?!" Sam just kept a straight face as she sipped her milkshake.

Akira giggled at Sam's action. "She doesn't like how you were talking with your mouth full."

Kagami grumbled a few things, which didn't go unheard by Sam. She smacked his arm again, successfully shutting the boy up.

Akira sighed. "And about you guys being worried, I was, too. I wasn't sure what was going on until I started remembering things from middle school."

There was a moment of silence. Kuroko was the first to break it. "Why do you think you remembered?"

Akira thought about it for a moment. "Maybe because it was your basketball that woke up my memories of you."

Kagami nodded. "But why did you only remember Kuroko?"

Akira shrugged. "Perhaps it's because I've only seen Kuroko play? I don't even know if I've even seen the people I knew from middle school since I've returned to Japan."

The 'Generation of Miracles' flashed through Kuroko's thoughts. _They were the colors that Akira remembered._ He nodded to himself.

After everyone finished eating, the four stopped by the street basketball courts. Akira grabbed the ball out of her bag and spun it on her finger. "Care for a game of two on two?"

Kagami smirked. "You're on!"

The next day, and from then on, was torture for Akira and Sam. They were walking to class when they ran into Tyler.

"Akira! Sam! How's it goin'?" he asked a little too happily.

Sam gave a suspicious look, but Akira didn't seem to notice. "Hey!" the redhead called back enthusiastically. She walked up to her brother and Sam cautiously followed. "I never seem to see you around at school," she commented. "Are you avoiding me?"

Tyler chuckled. "No, I'm not avoiding you. I signed up for the baseball team and I've been having practice during lunch," the boy explained.

Akira nodded and the bell rang. "I guess I'll see you at home."

Tyler smiled. "See you after school," he said as he ran to his class.

Akira was mildly confused, but she pushed off Tyler's comment, not thinking it was anything important. Sam, on the other hand, was already expecting some sort of terrible surprise from Tyler. The two girls ran to their class and made it just before the teacher came in.

When school was over, Akira jumped out of her seat happily. "Finally! Class is over!" she shouted, waking Sam up from her nap. Akira grabbed Kuroko and Sam's arms and dragged them out of the room while tackling Kagami's back to make him move faster. Everyone blanched at their situation, but didn't resist the girl. Once they made it to the gym, Akira let go of everyone and slammed the door open. "We're here!" Akira's eyes fell on a certain someone on the room, and once she processed who it was, she wanted to sprint out of the room as fast as she could, but before she could turn around, the boy shouted.

"Grab her!" The voice was so powerful that Kagami, the closest to Akira, got startled and grabbed his fellow redhead immediately.

Akira struggled to get out of Kagami's grip. "No! Let me go!"

Sam started running once she heard the voice sound the command. She knew who it belonged to just as well as Akira did. It belonged to Tyler.

Tyler wasn't about to let the illusionist get away. "Someone get Sam!"

This time it was Kiyoshi who was startled into action. He started chasing the runaway and Sam ran for her life. She knew that Kiyoshi was faster than her, but she hoped that he had started practice before she arrived at the gym and tired himself out at least a little. She made a sharp right at the corner of the building and ran into a giant crowd of people to try to hide herself. Kiyoshi ran into the crowd, hoping to catch Sam before he lost her, but he failed. He couldn't see the girl with so many people in the way. Sam left Kiyoshi to hunt for her in the crowd and ran for the school gates. She was almost there when a strong grip grabbed the back of her shirt and yanked her backwards into a well toned chest.

"I got you," panted Kiyoshi. Sam tried to slip out of his grip, but he lifted her up and carried her back to the gym. Sam groaned all the way there.

When Kiyoshi opened the doors, Tyler and Akira saw the captured Sam. "Great! Now the grueling training can begin!" Tyler cheered.

The rest basketball team and Riko gave confused looks. "Um, who exactly are you?" they asked.

A large grin broke out on Tyler's face. "I'm Akira's brother! I was the Crimson Dragons' coach back in America! I signed up for the boys basketball team's manager position so I could keep an eye on these two and to make sure they're keeping up with training I assigned them," Tyler explained.

Realization dawned on Riko's face. "So you're the new manager!" Tyler nodded. "Welcome to the team! I can't wait to see what kind of training Akira and Sam have done in America! Maybe I can incorporate it into our usual workout!" The guys' faces paled at Riko's comment and hoped the training wasn't too intense. Based off of the way Akira and Sam reacted when they saw Tyler, they doubted their hopes would last.

Tyler put a hand on Sam and Akira's shoulders. "Are you ready?" The two gulped and nodded.

Akira and Sam had finally finished their 15 laps around the school's grounds, their hundred squats, push-ups, sit-ups, lunges, and tuck-jumps, and all that was left were their extreme stretches. Akira bent backwards and touched the ground as Sam was on the floor doing the splits and her stomach and chest against the ground. The boys gave a look of horror. They couldn't believe how flexible their new teammates were and it was painful just watching them. When the girls were finally finished, they were both laying on the ground, groaning.

Tyler clapped his hands. "Okay! Now for the game!"

Seirin gasped. "What?! There's more?!" Akira used all of the strength she had to lift herself from the floor. Sam didn't move. _Is she dead?!_ the boys thought. Upon closer inspection, the guys noticed that Sam was in fact alive, just sleeping.

Tyler sighed and picked Sam up, placing her on the bench. "Give her ten minutes and she'll be up and ready to go."

Akira massaged her already sore muscles and turned to Tyler. "Who am I up against today?"

Tyler rubbed his chin as he inspected the guys on the team. He held out a finger to Kagami. "You! I want to see what you got!"

The boys gave a look of exasperation, but Kagami complied. Once on the court, he smirked. "I'll get you back for the game yesterday!"

In the end, Akira won, much to Kagami's displeasure. Akira walked over to the bench and knocked out. Sam had woken up by the time their one-on-one ended and was ordered to get on the court. Tyler put both Kiyoshi and Mitobe against Sam, much to her annoyance. _Why can't Akira have two opponents!_ On the bright side, Sam hade the chance to re-energize herself with her nap and was ready to kick butt. By the end of the game, Sam had gotten hit in the head with the ball three times, but had still managed to make it a tie. It was quite the advantage knowing Mitobe so well, and despite being much weaker than Kiyoshi, she had managed to trick his eye. Sam wobbled over to Akira on the bench and fell asleep again.

Tyler sighed and shook his head. "What am I going to do with you two?"

 **HAHA. Sam's so clever, shopping online. There is a lot of stuff online. I'm just wondering how they got the shoes shipped so fast… oh well. Tyler joins into the mix, making sure Aki and Sam don't slack off. I would be crying if I was in Akira or Sam's places. I am** _ **not**_ **athletic** _ **at all**_ **. And poor boys, they get dragged into the work, too. Haha. Hope you read the next chapter! It was so fun writing it. - Aloysius**

 **Tyler is the new manager, and judging by Riko's reaction, the boys will be in for a painful year :D Y'all are awesome, so… follow, favorite, and review, okay? See you in two weeks!** **Aloysius, Sam probably got the shoes on Amazon's 1-day shipping thing** **\- Maelstrom_MVF**


	8. Chapter 8

**Several things happening in this update - something suspicious, something hilarious, and some good old character bonding.**

 **Q: Why was Cinderella kicked off the basketball team?**

 **A: Because she ran away from the ball. - Maelstrom_MVF**

 **YES! I am so happy to put this chapter up! I had so much fun writing it! I'm not going to say too much here, but that Tyler gets in in a bit of action ( when I typed "in" twice, it was intentional), a certain Kaijou duo make a scene, and two of the most socially awkward accidentally get a bit too close. BTW, I just noticed that the line breaks I put in ch1-7 weren't showing up, but they will from now on… probably. Enjoy! - Aloysius**

Ch 8

It was finally the weekend and the end of Akira, Sam, and Mel's first week of school. School was fairly easy for the girls, but basketball practice was brutal with Tyler there to make sure they didn't take it easy. Tyler didn't have a problem getting Mel to practice even without going to the same school. The lived in the same house after all.

It was mid-morning by the time Akira and Mel left the house to get Sam. Tyler had left several minutes earlier, saying he needed to do something very important. The girls thought nothing of it as they got ready for the beach. The girls - with the help of Tyler - decided to go to the beach that Saturday and couldn't wait to feel the touch of the sand at their feet again.

When Akira and Mel arrived at Sam's house, Mel happily knocked on the door… only to be greeted by silence. She knocked again and the door opened to reveal one of Mitobe's siblings.

"Um, is Sam here?" Akira asked a bit nervously.

The kid shook his head. "She already left," he said in a bit of a daze.

Mel and Akira gave a confused look, but nodded back anyway. "Okay, thank you." With that, the two left for the beach.

It didn't take long for Akira and Mel to arrive at the beach and they decided to look for Sam. As they were searching, Akira noticed some basketball hoops set up on the sand and a group of people setting up their things. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that the group was none other than the Seirin boys' basketball team. With them was Tyler with Sam thrown over his shoulder. It was then she realized - it was a trap. Before she could run away, she was lifted off of the ground by a pair of strong hands. It was Kiyoshi. Turning around, Akira noticed that Mel had also been caught. She was struggling to get out of Kagami's grip. The two boys carried the girls over to the rest of the group and when Tyler noticed Akira and Mel, he gave a sadistic smile.

"Ah! You're finally here!"

Akira sighed and slumped her head forward. "You planned this all along."

Tyler and Riko shared a smiled. "Yup!"

Tyler then turned to Kagami and Kiyoshi. "You two are great! You are now permanently my personal dragon catchers!"

Sam, Akira, and Mel all sighed in defeat and the three were put down from their holds. Sam was stretching her back out after being carried all the way from her house to the beach on Tyler's shoulder. She cracked her back, shoulders, and neck several times, making everyone in the group cringe. Sam shrugged, popping one more joint, before she grabbed her bag and walked to the bathrooms to change. Akira and Mel, after taking a while to snap out of their trance, followed after Sam. Minutes later, the three walked out in their swimwear.

Akira walked out first, wearing a one-piece that was black from the waist down and had black, white, and orange diagonal stripes from the waist up. Next came Mel in a dark green one-piece with turquoise swirls. Her hair was pulled back in a braid. Sam stepped out last. She was wearing a short-sleeved, black swim shirt with thin, green and white stripes running down the sides, and had on black swim trunks.

The boys blushed when they was Mel and Akira, but once they saw Sam, they deadpanned. _Is she really a girl?!_

It was then Hyuga and the rest of the team really acknowledged Mel. "Who is she?" Hyuga asked Akira.

Mel smirked and decided to follow Robert's example by stealing his signature introduction style. She pointed at the Seirin team. "Who am I you ask? I am none other than the shortest point guard of the century! I hop, step, jump for the stars! I am Terrence Mel! Beware!"

Sam facepalmed while Akira and Tyler nodded in approval. Everyone else just looked confused.

Akira let out a sigh as she blocked the sun from her eyes and looked to the sky. "I wish the rest of the team was here." Sam and Mel nodded in agreement and the three walked over to the beach court that was set up. "So, what are we doing today?"

Tyler grabbed a basketball out of his bag and tossed it to Akira. "You three are going to play a game against Kagami, Kuroko, Hyuga, Izuki, and Kiyoshi!"

Sam and Akira groaned, but Mel just gave a confused expression. "Who?"

"Sam and my basketball team's strongest players other than us," Akira explained. "Kagami is the redhead, Kiyoshi is the guy who's the same height as him, Hyuga is the one with glasses, Izuki is the one with black hair and is slightly shorter than Hyuga, and Kuroko is the bluenette that no one seems to notice." Mel nodded. She, like Sam and Akira, actually _did_ notice Kuroko.

Everyone else turned around to face said bluenette and started freaking out. Mel started laughing so hard that she fell to the ground clutching her sides. Akira and Sam, who had grown use to their team's ridiculousness, only giggled. After a while, everyone calmed down and the game began.

Tyler threw the ball into the air and Kagami and Mel jumped for it. Mel, with her explosiveness, got to the ball a second before Kagami and took possession of it - much to Seirin's surprise. She quickly passed the ball to Sam. When Sam got the ball, Hyuga and Izuki guarded Sam while Kagami guarded Akira and Kiyoshi guarded Mel. Kuroko was just ready to intervene if the chance arrived.

Sam sighed. _Why can't Akira or Mel get double-teamed?_ She started dribbling the ball around in a bunch of complicated ways, gaining speed with every bounce and throwing sand everywhere. Everyone was surprised at Sam's ability to dribble on the sand, and once Hyuga and Izuki couldn't focus correctly anymore, Sam slipped past them, making it seem like she disappeared. She jumped to shoot the ball, but Kagami was fast and jumped to block the shot. Sam, being a quick thinker like the rest of her American teammates, tossed the ball up ever so slightly to make it look like she shot the ball, and when she caught it again, threw the ball to Akira. Akira then sped down the court, somehow dribbling it like Sam did, and tossed the ball toward the hoop. From there, Mel jumped and dunked the ball, finishing the alley-oop.

Riko, Hyuga, Izuki, Koganei, Kagami, Tsuchida, and Kiyoshi's mouths were hanging open in astonishment. Akira and Sam never ceased to amaze them, and now, there was Mel. They couldn't help but think of how hard a time they would have against just three girls.

The game continued, and eventually, the boys started scoring, too. Kagami and Kuroko pulled off several alley-oops, Kiyoshi made a dunk, Izuki made a two-pointer, and Hyuga made a three, but they were still a few points away from the girls. It was the boy's ball again after Akira scored a two-pointer and Kuroko was taking it out. He passed it to Hyuga, but Akira intercepted the pass and passed it to Mel. Mel then jumped, only to be blocked by Kagami. She quickly changed the direction of the ball and passed it to Sam. Everything was going according to plan until a volleyball came flying in from outside of the court and hit Sam in the back of the head, making her face-plant into the sand. Akira and Mel ran to see if she was alright while everyone else looked to see two boys run toward them.

"Ah! I'm so sorry!" cried one of the boys. He was blonde, while the other one had black hair.

The blonde's friend hit him in the head. "I told you not to hit it so hard!" he shouted. As the two came closer, Seirin noticed that it was Kise and Kasamatsu from Kaijou. The two seemed to notice Seirin as well.

"Ah! Kurokocchi! Kagamicchi! What are you doing here?" The blonde seemed to forget all about the girl on the ground.

"Kise!" shouted the blonde's friend. "Don't just forget about the person you hit down!"

"Ahh~ sorry Kasamatsu senpai!" Kise said, turning back to Kasamatsu.

"Tell that to him, not me!"

Everyone froze. Kasamatsu had just called Sam 'him' thinking she was a guy, and the team wasn't sure how to react. They were surprised when she didn't make any move to correct him.

Sam ruffled her hair to get the sand out, and then looked up at the blonde. She was far too lazy to correct him – she gave up trying a few weeks after she cut her hair short.

Kise turned back to Sam. "Sorry about that!" He offered his hand to help Sam up and she took it. Kise then turned to see Akira and his eyes widened in surprise. "Mizucchi!" He grabbed Akira in a big hug and Kuroko flinched. "You're back!"

Akira tried getting out of Kise's grip, but ultimately failed. "Um, who exactly are you?" she asked. Kuroko let a small smile play on his lips while Kise whined.

"Whaaa~? Mizucchi, you don't remember me?! Not even my name?"

Akira shook her head and Kuroko's smile grew. "Nope."

Kise cried hysterical tears as he sulked. Kasamatsu shook his head. He turned to Sam. "Sorry about him. The idiot doesn't know the meaning of self-control."

Sam brushed herself off and nodded stiffly. She hated being hit with sports balls - it happened quite often - and she could feel her temper flare. "I'll forgive you under one condition."

Everyone from Seirin was surprised at Sam. She had not only spoken for the first time in their presence, but had made a request as well.

Kasamatsu narrowed his eyes. "What condition?"

Sam narrowed her eyes as well. "You play us in a four-on-four game of beach volleyball."

No one, not even Akira or Mel expected Sam to challenge the two to a game of beach volleyball, but they didn't complain. Instead, they smirked. Kasamatsu and Kise smirked, too. "Deal."

Sam nodded, then turned to her group. She pointed to her friends, then to herself. 'Tyler, Akira, Mel, you're on my team.'

Tyler smiled wide and punched the air. "Finally! A sport I can play!"

Kise cleared his throat, gaining everyone's attention. "Can we choose anyone to be on our team?" he asked. He received a nod in return. "Okay then, Kagamicchi and Kurokocchi are on our team!"

Kasamatsu looked at his kouhai with wide eyes. "What?!"

After a few minutes of arguing, Kagami and Kuroko agreed to be on Kise and Kasamatsu's team. They headed over to the net that was set up and found the rest of Kaijou's team waiting. Kasamatsu explained the situation and they sat down with the rest of the Seirin team to watch the match.

Sam grabbed the ball and threw it to Kise, hard. "You serve first."

Kise smirked. "That's a bad idea."

Sam just smirked back and got into position. Kise perfectly served the ball over the net, but Akira was there to receive it. The ball flew into the air and Sam got under it. She set the ball up and Mel jumped up and spiked it right past Kagami. He wasn't expecting such a hard hit, but readied himself for the next one.

Riko was keeping score off to the side. "1-0, Sam."

Sam got the ball and tossed it to Tyler to serve. Tyler smirked as he threw the ball up into the air and jumped, hitting an overhand serve. It zoomed past Kuroko, but Kise was quick enough to bump it. What he didn't plan for was Tyler's power. The ball bounced off with so much force, it flew into the audience, almost hitting Koganei.

"2-0, Sam."

Kise turned to his opponents. "You've got a pretty good team there."

Sam nodded and Akira and Mel started jumping around Sam. "Say it! Say it!"

Sam sighed deeply in complaint and dramatically pointed at Kise with a glare, speaking slowly and darkly. "Beware my wrath."

Kise started crying and turned to his teammates. "He's glaring at me!"

Kasamatsu could feel his anger spike toward his kouhai. "Stop crying!" he yelled as he sent a kick to Kise's side. "I'll kick you!"

Eventually, the game continued and Sam's team continued to score more and more points. In the end, it was 25 to 11. Sam's team had won. She fell to the ground and wiped to sweat off of her forehead with her wrist before turning to face her opponents. Kasamatsu had his hands on his knees and was breathing heavily. Kuroko and Kagami were in a very similar position. Kise just had one hand on his hip while he used the other one to wipe the sweat off of his face with a towel. He was breathing heavily, too.

Kise walked over to Sam, followed by Kasamatsu after he caught his breath. Kise had on a serious face, but it quickly turned into one of concussion. "Who exactly are you?"

Akira and Mel jumped to Sam's sides with giant smiles on their faces. "He's Lyons Sam and I'm Mizutani Akira!" said Akira happily.

"And I'm Terrence Mel!" finished Mel.

The two of them hopped in front of Kise and Kasamatsu. "Who are _you_?" they asked simultaneously.

Kasamatsu flinched back when they got closer, which didn't go unnoticed by Sam or her friends. "U-uh… um." He couldn't speak properly and his cheeks started to grow pink.

Kise chuckled at his senpai's social awkwardness toward girls. He turned to the two girls on front of him. "I'm Kise Ryota and this is Kasamatsu Yukio. We go to Kaijou High School and play on the basketball team."

Akira and Mel stepped back, allowing Kasamatsu to feel a bit more comfortable. Then, they smirked an evil smirk. "Sam, why don't you go talk with Kasamatsu while Akira tries to remember Kise?" suggested Mel. She really wanted to know what would happen if Kasamatsu found out Sam was a girl. She and Akira pulled Sam up and pushed her forward toward Kasamatsu, making her trip and fall into the boy's chest. On reflex, Kasamatsu wrapped his arms around Sam to keep her from falling, then after seeing what he was doing, quickly let go of her. He stared at Sam in surprise for a few seconds until he started walking off in one direction really fast. "Go!" said Mel as she nudged Sam, telling her to follow Kaijou's captain. Sam reluctantly complied. She grabbed her phone and went to follow Kasamatsu.

When Sam caught up with Kasamatsu, he was ordering a drink at a beach bar. When he turned around, Kasamatsu jumped a little when he noticed Sam had caught up with him. Sam walked up to the counter and ordered a fruit smoothie, then walked to join Kasamatsu, who was nice enough to wait for her despite being uncomfortable. Together, they walked to a table and sat down across from each other.

"So, Lyons-"

"Sam is fine," interrupted Sam. She took a sip of her smoothie as she cooled her temper from the match. Kasamatsu continued.

"Right, um… Sam, are you on Seirin's basketball team?" Kasamatsu asked.

"Mm," Sam replied shortly. Thinking back, she was mad at herself for getting so angry and talking. She still didn't like talking so much with someone she had just met.

Kasamatsu nodded, then tried to see how clever Sam was. "So, what have you guys been working on?" Sam pretended she didn't hear what he said and continued to sip her drink. Kasamatsu just chuckled. "Guess you're smarter than I thought." Kasamatsu then felt a dark vibe radiating from Sam and decided that he should stop poking the bear.

A waitress, who was walking by, felt it, too and stumbled, spilling water all over Sam and the table. "I'm so sorry!" she said, terrified of how Sam would react. Sam just stood up and kept a blank face, scaring the waitress and Kasamatsu even more.

By now Kasamatsu stood up to help with cleaning the table and the waitress started getting even more flustered. "Oh! I'm sorry! Let me clean the table!" She moved to wipe the table, but slipped on some water and crashed into Sam's back.

Sam, who was propelled from behind by the waitress, lurched forward into Kasamatsu, who was leaning forward to clean the table. Their lips met and they froze on the spot. Neither of them could get over the shock and they both ended up fainting backwards. All the waitress could think about was how much trouble she was in.

Mel was hanging out with Kagami while Kise was busy harassing Akira into remembering who he was. Mel couldn't help but laugh every time she saw Kuroko smiling when Akira said she didn't remember who Kise was. Getting bored of Kise's hysterical crying, Mel took a seat next to Kagami on the sand. **"Sup,"** she said.

Kagami looked at Mel, then turned back to look at the ocean. **"Yo."**

Mel smirked. **"So, ever think about America?"**

The redhead gave a look of surprise. **"How did you know I came from America?!"**

The boy's question make Mel break out into laughter. **"You're just like him!"** she breathed, trying to catch her breath. Kagami didn't hear what she said and waited for Mel to calm down. **"You** _ **do**_ **know that you're speaking English, right?"**

Kagami's eyes went wide as he realized that she was right. **"I didn't even notice…"**

Mel put her hand on his shoulder. **"Nope! You sure are an open book, Kagami!"**

He blushed a little at the girl's comment. It was then he noticed how small she was compared to himself. He thought it was kind of… cute. **"Ah…"** Then Kagami thought back to the game he had had with Akira, Sam, and Mel. Mel had greatly impressed him with her towering jumps. It reminded him of… himself. What really impressed him, though, was the fact she could jump so high despite being so short. It was then he realized that he wanted to get to know the shorter girl more.

All of the sudden, everyone heard a ringing noise come from Mel's bag. She stood up and brushed herself off before rummaging through her bag and pulling out her phone. The number was Sam's, so she happily answered the phone. **"Hey, Sam! How's it goin'?"**

" _Ah! Um… please come down to the beach bar near the northern part of the beach!"_ said an unfamiliar voice. It was the high-pitched voice of a girl and she sounded distraught.

Mel's face hardened as she became serious. "What happened?" Everyone came closer as they began to worry, too.

" _Your friend fainted!"_

By then Mel had immediately hung up, grabbed Akira's arm, and started running to the beach bar. The rest of the group ran to keep up and when they got to the place, they found both Sam _and_ Kasamatsu out cold, lying on their backs in the sand. A waitress was freaking out next to them and the manager was yelling at the waitress for causing such a big problem.

Akira decided to speak up and get the people's attention. "Um, excuse me, but what happened to our friends?"

The manager finally stopped yelling and turned to the group. "Ask Clumsy here," he said pointing to the waitress.

She played with her fingers as she spoke. "Well… I felt a strong, malicious vibe radiating off of one of your friends and got spooked and accidentally spilled water all over him and the table," she said, pointing to Sam. The group could only look to Kasamatsu and wonder how he got her so mad. "After that, they started helping clean up the table and I accidentally pushed him into the other guy," she continued. "And, well… they kissed."

Everyone's mouths fell open after they learned about what happened. Kasamatsu, a serious guy who was too shy to talk to girls, kissed Sam, who was a serious girl that had never had any love experience and who Kasamatsu thought was a guy. The result was both of them fainting from shock. Mel couldn't help but laugh. Eventually, everyone shook off their shock and proceeded to help. Mel took Sam's phone back from the waitress and Kise picked up Kasamatsu to carry him. Tyler did the same with Sam.

"Sorry about the problem," Riko apologized to the manager before they left. When they were back to the court, everyone sighed. "Well, today was an eventful day."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

 **Sorry for not updating in a while. It's time for school and such and I've been working on making classrooms presentable. I'll try to update every other week again. Anyway, I think Kasamatsu is one of the most awesome characters after Kuroko, Kagami, and the GoM. He was the one who figured out how to stop Kuroko's shot using his head – not literally of course! He's quite funny, too. I happen to really like this chapter. It's kinda funny how my friend reacted to it, too. When she read it, she couldn't get that scene out of her head and kept imagining me in Sam's place. She told me this, and trust me, it was awkward, but I couldn't help but laugh my head off afterwards. And yes, Tyler finally gets to play. Poor him, never getting enough time… oh well. It's not his story anyway. Well, see you guys next chapter! – Aloysius**

 **Sooo… Kasamatsu and Sam… What do you guys think of that little scenario? Hope you enjoyed this chapter! - Maelstrom_MVF**


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay, so the line breaks still didn't show up. I tried something else for this ch, so it should work. - Aloysius**

 **YO! This chapter is completely dedicated to Mel. There's some more bonding between characters, and our blonde point guard just might meet someone new! Today's joke is in honor of Mel and her epic skills.**

 **Q: Why do basketball players love cookies?**

 **A: Because they can dunk them! - Maelstrom_MVF**

Ch 9

Mel woke up to the sound of an alarm clock breaking against the wall in her room. She chuckled quietly to herself as she got out of bed and dressed in her new school uniform: a knee-length black skirt, white blouse, red tie, and a blazer with the Yosen school crest on it. Mel didn't like having to wear uniforms. When she had told this to Tatsuya a few days earlier, he had laughed and agreed with her, though he said he didn't mind as much. He had suggested wearing something she liked with her uniform. As a result, Mel now wore lime green socks instead of the standard grey, black, or white.

Mel was glad that she didn't have to go to school by herself every day. The first time she traveled to Yosen, she nearly got lost. Now, she got to hang out with Tatsuya. Mel picked up her gym bag, checked to make sure both her old and new jerseys were still inside, then ran downstairs, picked up the lunchbox that Akira had left for her, and rushed out the door. Tatsuya was already waiting for her by the gate.

Mel checked her watch: 7:30. She hmphed and said to Tatsuya, "Why do you always beat me outside? I always get up at 7:15!"

Tatsuya grinned down at his short friend. He hadn't told her yet, but the tall, seemingly gloomy boy was falling for the short, hyperactive girl. He thought it would be awkward to tell her when they had only known each other for a few weeks. Still… Tatsuya realized that Mel was waiting for an answer. "You know, the fact that you only give yourself 15 minutes might be part of the problem," he said as the pair walked towards the train station. "By the way, are you ready for the practice game against Shutoku?"

"I can't wait! I was so excited that I couldn't sleep a wink! It's my first time playing in a game with you guys, even if it is an unofficial match."

Himuro studied Mel. "You're a lot like Taiga, and in more ways than one."

"How so?"

"Well, you're both ridiculously good at jumping, you're both accustomed to speaking English more often than Japanese, and neither of you can get five minutes of sleep the night before a game."

Mel simply smirked and lightly punched his arm. "Whatever."

00000000000

After school ended, Tatsuya, Mel, and Atsushi met the rest of the team in front of the building instead of the gym. They were already in their sweatpants and basketball jackets, and Mel was disguised as a boy. She wore a wig the same color as her hair and had bound her chest. The team was waiting for Liu to arrive. They stood there for five minutes before Liu sprinted up to them.

"I apologize! I hath made thee to be late!" he called to his teammates.

"Relax, Wei." By now, Mel was calling everyone by their first names, and vice versa. "We don't have to leave for another five minutes."

Liu sighed. Not long after, coach Araki arrived.

"Is everyone ready?"

Everyone nodded and they headed to Shutoku for their practice match.

Once they were at Shutoku, they saw two figures standing out front waiting for them. When they got closer, they saw that one of the boys had bright green hair and eyes while the other had black hair and bluish-grey eyes. The boy with green hair also had glasses on and his left fingers were taped. Both wore orange Shutoku jerseys, making Mel break out laughing. To her, the green-haired boy looked like a giant carrot. She was about to whisper this thought to Tatsuya, but the carrot boy stepped forward.

"Hello, Murasakibara. It's been awhile," greeted the green-haired boy not so kindly.

Murasakibara just looked down a little. "Ah~! Mido-chin. Long time no see."

While the two 'Generation of Miracles' were having a staring contest, Mel jumped in between the two and help out her hand to 'Mido-chin'. "Hi! I'm Terrence Mel. What's your name, Mr. Carrot?"

Mel's team, including Himuro, snickered to themselves and Midorima fumed.

"I am not a carrot!" he shouted. His teammate started laughing, too.

"I don't know, Shin-chan. You _do_ kinda look like a carrot with your orange jersey and green hair."

'Shin-chan' glared at his teammate, then back at Mel. "My name is Midorima Shintaro, _not_ Mr. Carrot. Remember that."

Mel smiled and nodded. _Not a chance!_

Himuro glanced at his short friend. He sent her a look that said, ' _You never will call him by his real name, will you?'_

Mel stared back at him with a smirk. ' _Of course not! Why should I?'_ The two grinned at each other.

Midorima guessed at the meaning of his rivals' expressions and sighed. "Follow me to the gym."

Inside the gym, Mel looked around and found the rest of Mr. Carrot's team. There was a boy with a shaved head, a blonde, and a boy with short, black hair that stood up. Because his jersey had the number 4 on it, Mel assumed he was the captain. All of them were taller than her - not that she was surprised or anything. The last person she saw was an old man sitting on the bench. Coach Araki had a short talk with him before she called for Yosen to get ready.

Mel lined up and shook hands with the opponent in front of her. He was the blonde. "Yo! What's your name?"

The boy looked at Mel with a bit of a glare. "Miyaji Kiyoshi. You?"

Mel smiled. "I'm Terrence Mel. Let's have a good game!"

Kiyoshi nodded and the two moved into position for the start of the game. Mel got ready for the tip-off against Midorima. Shutoku thought that Yosen was crazy for having such a short player go up against a much taller player in the tip-off, but they didn't voice their opinions. The ball flew into the air and two jumped. Mel got to it first, much to Shutoku's surprise. She passed it to Himuro, who took the ball across the court and jumped to shoot. The captain jumped to block the ball, but when Himuro shot the ball, it seemed to pass through the opponent's hand. Everyone was shocked when the ball went in with a 'swoosh'.

Mel put her fist up in the air. "Yeah!" Everyone turned to stare at her and she let out a nervous laugh. Himuro gave Mel a fist-bump and the teams continued the game.

Miyaji took the ball out, passing it to Mr. Carrot's friend. Mel guarded Mr. Carrot, anticipating his friend to pass to him, and was indeed correct. Midorima got the ball and prepared to shoot, not at all intimidated by the short 'boy' guarding him. Mel jumped to block the shot and successfully changed the ball's path, much to Shutoku's surprise. Okamura got the ball and forcefully dunked it into the opponents' hoop, scoring.

Mel turned to Midorima. "Hah! How do you like us now?!"

000000000000

The teams were taking a two-minute break between the third and fourth quarters when Mel heard a familiar song. She sat there mesmerised by it, then remembered that it was actually her ringtone for Tyler. She jumped up, grabbed her phone, and looked at it. There was a new text from Tyler.

'hey mel. Since u & aki r staying late 4 games & stuff, im gonna cook dinner. k? c u l8r.'

Mel nearly screamed in terror. She didn't, but her horror must have shown on her face. Tatsuya looked at her strangely.

"Akira's brother, Tyler, says he's going to cook dinner! This is terrible! Coach Araki, can I leave? There's an emergency! If Tyler cooks, the entire house might be gone by the time this game is over!"

Araki must have seen the desperation in Mel's face, because she nodded immediately.

"Go. Fukui, you'll switch with her."

Mel quickly texted Tyler back.

'I'll be there in 10 minutes. Don't move a muscle!'

She jumped up, grabbed her bag, and sprinted out of the gym, not even bothering to put on her jacket and sweatpants over her jersey. They were left on the bench next to Tatsuya. The tall boy sighed, folded up the clothes, and put them into his own bag. Then, the timeout was over and the game was about to start again.

000000000000

When Mel got on the bus to her street, she couldn't stand still. Everyone else on the vehicle kept giving the short girl in the basketball jersey weird looks, as if they were wondering why a Yosen player from Akita would be so anxious to get somewhere in Tokyo. Finally, the bus stopped and Mel ran to her house. There didn't seem to be any sign of fire yet, but Mel wasn't sure. She cautiously opened the door, didn't smell any smoke, and walked inside.

"Tyler? Are you in here?" she called.

"Yeah, I'm back here. Can I move now? I really don't see why you guys freak out every time I mention cooking."

Mel sighed in relief. "You can move, but don't touch anything food related. I'm just glad nothing was damaged."

"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!"

Just then, Akira burst through the door. "Tyler! Please tell me you haven't started cooking yet!"

Mel broke out into a fit of laughter when Tyler sulked. "I appreciate your trust in me, guys." Akira sighed when she saw that Tyler had not touched the cooking equipment.

Mel walked over to Tyler and pat his back. "It's okay, buddy! Maybe you can cook some other time!" she lied.

The look on Tyler's face showed that he didn't fall for her lies. "Yeah right…"

0000000000000

Mel met up with Himuro the next day. They were sitting at a park bench eating ice cream and Himuro was filling her in on the game the previous day.

"In the end, we didn't get to finish the game, anyway. The coaches had some sort of problem and the game was canceled," he explained. Mel nodded once he was finished.

"I see. It would have been interesting to see who would win, though, wouldn't it?" Mel asked with a smile.

"Indeed," Himuro agreed.

The two sat there for a few minutes, not speaking, just enjoying each other's company. Mel would probably never admit it, or at least be the first to admit, that she was starting to really like Tatsuya. He was kind, smart, and a great friend. She just wondered what he thought of her. In truth, Himuro really liked her, too. She just didn't know it. Mel, like Akira and Sam, were a bit dense when it came to noticing if someone liked them.

Mel felt the heat rise to her cheeks and shook her head. She refused to blush in front of anyone, _especially_ if it was the person she liked. She decided to change the situation into one she could handle.

"Hey, do you want to play a game of one-on-one?" she asked and she pointed to an empty court not too far from where they were sitting. Himuro nodded with a smile.

"Sure."

Together, they played and played until the sun set, then walked home together. Mel was both happy and proud. She got to hang out with her crush _and_ she had won the game.

 **Midorima will never again be called by his name. He is now, and forever shall be, Mr. Carrot. - Maelstrom_MVF**


	10. Chapter 10

**Somethin' cool is going on here. One word: MUSIC! Did you know that a certain canon character can play guitar?**

 **Q: What's the difference between a dog and a basketball player?**

 **A: One drools and the other dribbles. - Maelstrom_MVF**

 **A sign at a music shop: "Gone Chopin. Bach in a minute." – Aloysius**

Ch 10

Anyone would think that it was planned out when every school's sports teams had a day off on the exact same day, but really, it was a just a coincidence. Needless to say, everyone gladly took the day off to get over their sore muscles and relax.

Kasamatsu was walking to his favorite music store with his guitar strapped to his back. He was planning to replace some of its strings and play it outside the store to help Sousuke draw in more customers like he used to when he wasn't so busy. As Kasamatsu stepped into the store, he heard Sousuke talking with someone.

"Can you bring up the box of wind instruments, please?" he asked. Kasamatsu didn't hear a reply, but heard receding footsteps as the unknown person walked down the steps to the basement.

Kasamatsu walked pass the aisles of instruments and replacement parts until he found Sousuke sitting down on a stool in the back of the store. It was then the shop owner noticed the highschooler. "Yo."

Sousuke was a few inches taller than Kasamatsu and had short, scruffy, dark brown hair. The man was 27-years-old, but he had the heart of a teenager. He smiled. "I haven't seen _you_ in a while. How's it been?"

Kasamatsu shrugged. "The Winter Cup is coming up soon, and practice has gotten more intense, but I'm good."

Sousuke nodded, then gave a look of realization. "Oh! I recently hired a talented musician to help around the shop. He's a great kid! He works quickly and efficiently and never complains. His basketball team is going to the Winter Cup, too." When Kasamatsu heard the part about Sousuke's new employee participation in the Winter Cup, he couldn't help but wonder who it was. "His name is-"

Just then, Sousuke's new employee came back up from the basement carrying a large box. The box blocked Kasamatsu's view of the boy's face, making the captain unable to tell who it was.

"Sam!" said Sousuke. "You have impeccable timing!"

Kasamatsu flinched at the sound of Sam's name. _No, it can't be… can it?_ Kasamatsu's thoughts were answered when Sam put down the box he was carrying and turned to face Kasamatsu. Both of them froze in shock. It was the Sam whom Kasamatsu had met at the beach and… kissed. She was wearing a fern-green, sleeveless hoodie over a white dress-shirt and had on a pair of black skinny jeans. Sticking out of her mouth was a lollipop stick. The basketball captain thought that she looked kinda cute.

Sam was just as surprised to see Kasamatsu as he was to see her. After a few seconds, both of their faces flushed bright red. All they could think about at that moment was their accidental kiss.

Sousuke looked back and forth between the two and chuckled. "I see you two know each other." He put his hand to his chin. "Are you two dating? How did you meet?"

Kasamatsu quickly turned to face Sousuke. "That's not it!" he shouted, flustered. Sam's face turned even redder.

Sousuke dropped his hand. "Awww~! That's no fun!" The three of them calmed down a little and Sousuke got an idea. "Sam! I told Kasamatsu that you were a talented musician when he came in. Can you play something for us?"

After taking a few moments to completely calm herself down, Sam nodded her head and walked over to her violin case. She pulled out a lime green electric violin, plugged it into an amp, and placed it on her shoulder. Sam grabbed her bow and tested a few strings until she thought the sound was perfect and started playing 'Catch Me If You Can' by Burnham. Kasamatsu and Sousuke were amazed as Sam hit every note and even added to the song by incorporating her own flare. Kasamatsu couldn't help but smile as Sam smiled, too. When she was done with the song, Sam heard a lot of clapping and cheering. Confused, she turned and found everyone in the store had come to see Sam play. Not use to all of the attention, she quickly bowed and moved to hide behind Sousuke and Kasamatsu. When everyone moved away, she came out from hiding.

"I told you he was good," said Sousuke as he turned to Kasamatsu. All of the sudden, he jumped out of his seat and rushed to his desk.

Sam and Kasamatsu slowly walked to follow until Kasamatsu pulled Sam to the side. He leaned in a little closer, making Sam's face heat up. "Look, about what happened at the beach…"

Sam covered her face and turned her head to the side. "I'm sorry… I-"

 _So cute!_ "I know it wasn't your fault," he interrupted, getting slightly embarrassed himself. "I know, that's why I don't want things to be so awkward between us."

After a minute, Sam looked up again and nodded, cheeks still pink. Kasamatsu let out a sigh in relief and the two continued to head to the front desk. He turned to look at Sam in front of him and his cheeks flushed. Kasamatsu secretly found Sam quite alluring. He caught himself thinking about Sam and shook his head to clear his mind. _I do_ not _like another guy! Plus, we've only met twice!_

They made it to the front desk when Sousuke pulled out a flyer and smiled evilly at it. "I just got a brilliant idea!"

Sam and Kasamatsu looked to each other, then at Sousuke. "What's your idea?" the captain asked.

"You two should enter this music contest together!" He thrusted the flyer in the high schoolers' faces. The flyer was advertising a 'Battle of the Bands' competition a few blocks away from the shop, and it officially started in 15 minutes. The form said that you could sign up on the day of the competition.

Kasamatsu's eyes went wide. "What?! You expect us to play together, last minute, without practicing?!"

Sam just sighed. Sousuke always had the craziest ideas - much like the rest of her friends.

Sousuke just smirked. "Yup!" He grabbed Sam and Kasamatsu's arms and dragged them down to the competition. He signed them up and paid the $5 admission fee, then turned to face the two musicians. "There!"

Kasamatsu sighed and turned to Sam. "So, what song do you want to play?"

Sam thought about it for a moment, then snapped her fingers. She pulled out her phone and flipped through her playlist until she found the song she was looking for and showed her companions. The song was 'Nevereverland' by Nano.

The basketball captain scowled and took out his acoustic guitar. "You're lucky I know that song."

Sam pulled out her lollipop and suddenly, Kasamatsu felt her eyes water. He noticed that Sam's candy was a super spicy chilly flavored lollipop. He stared wide-eyed at the girl. _How can he eat that thing so casually?! I'm just standing next to him and my eyes are already burning!_ The boy wiped his eyes as Sam tossed the lollipop into nearby trashcan.

Suddenly, the speakers sounded. _"Now, for the next group, Kasamatsu, Sam, and Sousuke!"_ called the host of the competition.

Sam and Kasamatsu looked at Sousuke in surprise. "You're going to be playing with us?!"

The man in question shrugged. "It said you had to have a minimum of three people. Plus, I can be your drums!"

They didn't have any more time to argue as the competition people pushed the three on stage. It was then Sousuke realized something. "Who's going to sing?"

Kasamatsu and Sousuke both put up their hands in defense. "I can't sing," they said simultaneously.

Sam groaned and smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand. She walked up to the mic. "Hello, everyone! We're going to be playing 'Nevereverland' by Nano. Hope you guys enjoy!"

Kasamatsu and Sousuke were shocked at Sam's sudden enthusiasm and the crowd burst into cheers.

Suddenly, Sam pulled a keyboard out of what Kasamatsu thought was nowhere. She played a few keys, then they started the song.

"Long ago, inside a distant memory,

There is a voice that says

'Do you believe a world of happy endings?'

Even when the road seems long,

Every breath you take will lead you closer to

A special place within

Your Neverever...

"Mezamete komaku wo tataki tsudzuketeru SAIREN

Kono sakebigoe wo oshikoroshite

Nani mo shirazu ni shinon dake wo tsunagitomete

Genjitsu no TORAAPU ni ochite yuku

"Koukai wa shinai yo tsumiageta

Chigireteta miraizu wo nagame

Iki wo tomete sabitsuita kioku no hari

Atama'n naka guru guru mawaru yo

"As I close my eyes

Nokosu ato mo naku kobosu oto mo naku iku ate mo naku

I know that this is what I want, this is what I need

Ima mo kurikaeshiteku zanzou

Kizutsuita kako no bokura wa ienai mama de

Sonna karamawari kawaranai

Hibi wa mou tozashiteikunda

So now kore wa boku ga nozonda My Nevereverland"

Kasamatsu and Sousuke were so impressed by Sam. She was usually didn't speak and kept more to herself, but now she was passionately singing a song in front of a huge crowd while playing the piano at the same time.

"Samayou NAIFU no you ni tsukisasu kotoba ga

Kono kurushimi wo azawaratte

Nani mo dekizu ni furueru koe wo nomikonde

Kodoku no TORAAPU ni ochite yuku

"Mayoikonda kono ashidori tsumazuite sonzaikan wo ushinatte

Namida de somatta higeki no SUTEEJI kuruoshiku

Kokoro'n naka fura fura odoru yo

"As I take your hand

Kakenuketeiku kokoro no kioku iroaseteiku

I know that this is what I want, this is what I need

Asu mo kurikaeshiteku zanzou

Tobidashita hizumu sekai ga kienai mama de

Sonna karamawari kawaranai

Hibi wa mou tozashiteikunda

So now kore wa boku ga nozonda My Nevereverland

"Mezamete yume no ato no you na komorebi ge

Mabuta no urashimi wataru

Subete ga kanatta hazu da to omotte mo matta

Ochiteiku

"As I close my eyes

Nokosu ato mo naku kobosu oto mo naku iku ate mo naku

I know that this is what I want, this is what I need

Ima mo kurikaeshiteku zanzou

Kizutsuita kako no bokura wa ienai mama de

Sonna karamawari kawaranai

Hibi wa mou tozashiteikunda

So now kore wa boku ga nozonda My Nevereverland!"

The crowd was silent when they finished their song and the three weren't sure what to do. They were about to just walk off of the stage when they heard two people shout to them.

"Sam! Kasamatsu-senpai!" shouted a certain blonde model and a redhead with heterochromatic eyes. It was Kise and Akira, and with them was the rest of Seirin and Kaijou. After Kise and Akira started cheering, the entire audience broke into cheers.

Sam, Kasamatsu, and Sousuke stepped off stage and Sousuke seemed to have disappeared in the crowd. The two high-schoolers were left alone until the teams found them.

"Sam!" Akira shouted as Kise shouted, "Kasamatsu-senpai!" The two tackled their friends while the rest of the teams came closer. "You guys were awesome!"

Sam and Kasamatsu both struggled to get out of their friends' grips, but once they were free they were bombarded with questions and praises.

"I didn't know that you two knew how to play the guitar and piano," said Kuroko.

"Your singing was amazing!" shouted Riko.

Hyuga took a step forward. "The performance was quite impressive."

"Yeah! And I never thought the serious captain of Kaijou knew how to play the guitar!" added Koganei.

"You guys played really well together. How long have you two been practicing?" asked Kiyoshi.

Kasamatsu looked to Sam, then back to everyone else and scratched the back of his head. "Yes, I play the guitar. Sam apparently plays the violin, piano, and more?" Sam nodded. "And to answer Kiyoshi's question, we only played together for this performance a guy we know forced us into 15 minutes before the competition started. I didn't even know he played an instrument till today." Kasamatsu had to admit, Sam had continued to impress him every minute 'he' was with him. He wondered why he started getting this weird feeling in his chest every time he was close to Sam.

Everyone's eyes went wide. They had to admit, what Sam and Kasamatsu had done was more than a little impressive and before anyone else could ask another question, the announcer spoke.

" _That ends our performances for the competition. Now, for the winner!"_ He took the paper with the winners' names off of the judges' table and held it up. _"The winners are… Kasamatsu, Sam, and Sousuke!"_ The crowd went wild as the winners were called and Sam and Kasamatsu were in shock. They stepped back on stage and once again faced the hundreds of people in the audience. _"Where's your third member?"_

"He left," Kasamatsu replied.

" _Oh, that's fine, I guess. Congratulations, Sam and Kasamatsu, for winning the battle of the bands! Your prize is a necklace each from our sponsor!"_

Someone stepped forward with several necklaces, each with a different pendant. Kasamatsu took the one with the guitar and Sam took the one with the violin. They hooked them around their necks and bowed to the crowd. As they were about walking off stage, the announcer pat Sam's back a little too hard and sent her forward toward Kasamatsu. Kasamatsu caught Sam at the last second and they looked into each other's eyes. Their faces burned bright red at the close proximity. Sam tried to pull away, but her necklace was tangled with Kasamatsu's. They had to keep close to each other as they slowly moved to step off stage and blushed deeper when they made it to their friends.

Akira took several minutes to untangle the two chains, then pulled Sam behind her. "From now on, Kasamatsu, you are not allowed near Sam. You always seem to cause some sort of problem."

Kasamatsu sulked. He was just banned from being near the person he was falling for.

 **If I may make a suggestion, whenever a piece of music is mentioned/sung in this fanfic, it's best to listen to the song on YouTube or something while reading along. That way, you kind of feel like you're listening to the characters sing. And yes, there will be more songs in the future. - Maelstrom_MVF**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey! We're following the storyline now! We'll start with the streetball tournament, but, of course, our girls will be there too!**

 **Q: What do you do when you see an elephant with a basketball?**

 **A: GET OUT OF THE WAY! - Maelstrom_MVF**

 **Btw, I am so sorry for not updating two weeks ago. I was soo busy! I hope you forgive us, and here is (finally) the next chapter! Enjoy! - Aloysius**

Ch 11

It was after practice when Seirin's basketball team decided to eat out together, and Akira was having a blast watching her fellow redhead try to eat. Kagami was trying to eat his food with his left hand, but he didn't seem to have very much luck. His hand was shaking as he attempted to lift a piece of broccoli to his mouth. Before he could catch it between his teeth, it slipped out of his chopsticks.

"ARRGH!" Kagami made a hysterical face and everyone jumped. Then, they started whispering between each other.

"What's he doing there?"

"He said he's practicing using his left hand."

"By the way, what are you doing this weekend?" Koganei asked the group. "It's our rare break after all!"

Akira and Sam just sat and listened to everyone chat until one of the first years - the girls forgot his name - had an idea. "Ah, I've got an idea!" He pulled out a flier. "This: you guys want to join?" He asked the other first years. The flier was for a street basketball tournament, 5-on-5. He explained how long it would take to get there and that they could sign up to participate on the day of the event. He also said that the other first years who didn't participate in the Inter-High wanted to play, too.

Akira's interest was piqued. She nudged Sam, who was sitting next to her. "Are you going?" she asked. Sam nodded in response. In the end, the others agreed.

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It was Sunday, and Akira and Sam accompanied the other first years to the 5-on-5 street basketball tournament. Kawahara had the flu and couldn't come, so Kiyoshi came in his place. The group was looking for the sign-in booth, and once they found it, they heard someone yell. When they got closer, Kagami, Kuroko, and the other first years (excluding Sam and Akira) were shocked to find Seiho signing up for the tournament, too.

The two teams sat down to talk. Akira and Sam didn't quite know what to do in the situation, seeing as they had no idea who these people were. They sat quietly off to the side as the two teams were in deep conversation. Soon after, they left. Akira decided to finally ask Kuroko who the boys were.

"They were part of Seiho's basketball team," he said.

Kagami nodded. "We beat them in the Inter-High."

Akira and Sam nodded.

"I've been meaning to ask," Akira started. "Are we in any big tournaments coming up?"

"Our team is participating in the Winter Cup. We'll be facing off against the other teams who were part of the top eight schools from the Interhigh," Kuroko explained.

Kagami swallowed the huge bite he took out of his food. "The Generation of Miracles will be there, too," he said with a sinister smirk. Hearing this, Akira smirked, too. She turned to Sam.

"I've always wanted to play against the Generation of Miracles! Looks like we got our chance. Let's see how good they really are against the Crimson Dragons." Akira gave Sam a fist bump before breaking out into an excited giggle.

"I think it's almost time… Stop eating already, Kagami! We need to go now!" One of the boys said, exasperated.

Kagami finished stuffing the last of his food in his mouth and started fingering the ring on the chain around his neck. When Kuroko asked him what he was thinking, he said something about the states, and that was all it took to get Sam and Akira thinking about Robert, Henry, and the rest of the team back in Florida. If they knew they zoned out while Kagami was giving a bit of his life's story, they would have smashed their heads against a wall from guilt. It was a good thing they didn't know.

Just then, the speakers sounded. _"The first round will commence soon; team Seiho, please assemble in the court."_

The Seirin team hurried over to watch the game and noticed the crowd.

"What's that commotion?" someone asked.

When they got closer, everyone (excluding Akira and Sam) were surprised to find that Seiho had lost the game, 32 to 51. Sam noticed that Kagami looked like he had just seen a ghost. He was muttering things like, "Why… Is he here…" Kuroko seemed to notice, too. Then, Akira got Sam's attention.

"Hey, Sam. Does that guy look familiar to you?" she asked as she pointed to one of the boys on the court. He was a little shorter than Kagami with medium-length hair that covered his left eye and a beauty mark under his right eye. Before Sam could answer, Kagami shouted the boy's name.

"HIMURO TATSUYA!"

The boy, Himuro, turned to Kagami. "Taiga…!? **I never expected to see you here. What a surprise!** "

" **You don't look surprised at all. Still wearing a poker face?"** asked Kagami, following Himuro's example and speaking English. No one else understood the conversation except for Akira and Sam, who chose to watch quietly, or as quietly as they could. The two boys' English was quite weird for the girls to listen to and they couldn't help but giggle.

" **I'm not trying to hide my feelings. I'm just expressing them in my way."**

" **Is it Mr. Himuro? Kagami's friend?"** asked Kiyoshi in the best English he could manage.

"Ahh. It's okay, just speak Japanese," Himuro replied. "I'm just used to speaking English at all times."

Kiyoshi sighed in relief. "Thank God, that helps!"

"I'm not really his friend," Himuro continued. "If you must define it… I'd say I'm his big brother."

Everyone looked confused or surprise and Kagami just responded with a, "Yeah..."

Kagami then started explaining how the two had met and how Himuro taught Kagami basketball. He talked about how they became brothers, their separation, their meeting again a year later, and lastly, their fight.

"It's a shame we didn't compete there, but I've settled back here this year. I'm in a school named Yosen High now."

Akira and Sam instantly shot their heads toward Himuro when he said that he want to Yosen. Akira stepped forward while he was talking with Kagami and interrupted him. "Hey!" Everyone's attention fell to Akira. Sam was right behind her. "Do you happen to know a girl named Terrence Mel? She also goes to Yosen."

Himuro's eyes widened in surprise, and before he could answer, the two girls heard someone shout their names.

" **Sam! Akira!"** Now, everyone's attention was on the short, blonde girl waving her hand in the air. Behind her were two guys that towered over her. **"Look who I found!"**

Mel walked up to the group with, to Sam and Akira's surprise, Robert and Henry. Huge smiles broke out on the girls' faces and the five had a giant group hug.

" **I didn't know that you two were coming to Japan!"** Akira said, still smiling.

" **Yup!"** Robert and Henry said simultaneously.

" **Um, Mel?"** Himuro got the five's attention. **"Who are these people?"**

" **Oh yeah!"** Mel stepped out so everyone could see her. **"Tatsuya, these are the friends that you and Tiger met a long time ago in America!"** Mel said, gesturing toward Akira, Sam, Robert, and Henry. **"Guys, this is the Himuro Tatsuya and Kagami Taiga we met back in America. Alex introduced us."**

Realization dawned on the four teammate's faces, then they smiled.

" **No wonder you looked so familiar, Kagami!"** shouted Akira as she punched the other redhead's arm. **"Gosh! That's been bugging me since I saw you."** Sam nodded in agreement.

Robert and Henry walked up to Kagami. **"Oh yeah!"** Henry said, amused. **"I never thought I'd see you two again!"**

" **Neither did I!"** joined in Robert, hitting Kagami's back. **"Nice to see you again!"**

Kagami didn't look very comfortable, and Himuro was glad the audience wasn't allowed on the court, otherwise he would have been subjected to the Americans' painful greeting, too.

" **Oh! I got an idea!"** shouted Mel. **"Why don't we five see if we can signup as our own team?"**

" **Yeah!"** Akira and Robert agreed.

The five of them walked off to the sign-in booth and asked the person in charge if they could sign up last minute. It took a while to convince them, but as a last resort, they pushed Sam to the front of the group. She gave her friends a small glare before talking with the manager. About a minute later, they were officially part of the tournament.

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It took a while, but finally, Akira's team made it to the semi-finals. None of them where very tired and they had won all of their previous matches easily. The team they were up against was none other that Seirin's first years (and Kiyoshi). They gathered on the court and stood, face-to-face.

"Well this is interesting," said Henry. "This is your guys' team, right Akira? Sam?"

Seirin's eyes went wide. "YOU SPEAK JAPANESE!?" they all shouted simultaneously. They were answered with a nod.

"I can speak Japanese, too!" Robert announced, happily.

Akira shook her head. "So, are you guys ready?"

The ball was thrown into the air and Mel and Kagami jumped to get it. Kagami, being considerably taller than Mel, reached it first. When he landed, he looked for someone to pass to and found Kuroko open. He got ready to pass the ball to the bluenette, but he suddenly noticed he no longer had it. He quickly turned and found one of the boys on Akira's team, Robert, was in possession of the ball. He ran over to the boy to try and steal the ball back, or at least make a distraction for Kuroko. Kagami was quick enough to catch up and screen the boy and noticed Kuroko try and sneak up behind their opponent, but right before Kuroko could tap the ball out of Robert's grasp, he threw it to the side. Standing there, ready to receive the ball, was none other than Akira. She swiftly burst through Seirin's defense with her speed and got into position to shoot. Kyoshi ran up to Akira and attempted to block the shot, but Akira wasn't aiming to make it in. The ball flew past the senpai's hand and Mel, waiting for the shot, made an ally-oop.

The entire American team smirked at Seirin, and the latter smirked back. Kuroko got the ball and threw it to Kagami. The redhead then dribbled the ball down the court until Akira seemed to appear out of nowhere and screen him. He passed it to Kyoshi, who was waiting near the hoop. Kiyoshi then jumped to dunk the ball, but Robert jumped and pried the ball out of Kiyoshi's vice-like grip, much to everyone's surprise. He threw the ball to Sam and she took the ball back to the other side of the court. One of the other first years tried to block her, but with a quick switch of the hand, it made it seem like the ball vanished. She quickly got into shooting position and made a three-pointer.

"So, Kagami, Kuroko," Akira said, getting the opposing team's attention. "How do you like my team?"

Kagami smirked again. "Not bad…"

This time, one of the first years threw out the ball to Kiyoshi. Akira guarded Kiyoshi while, to many's surprise, Henry guarded Kagami. No one had seen the white-haired boy in action, so they were curious to what he could do. Kiyoshi passed the ball to Kuroko, who decided to use his Ignite Pass. The ball went flying toward Kagami, but the boy decided to take a quick look at his guard to try to get away. Their eyes met and Kagami couldn't seem to move his body. He was in some sort of trance. The ball flew past the boy and towards Sam. The problem was, she wasn't expecting it to come so close to her. She tried to move out of the way, but the ball still hit her shoulder at full speed. Sam fell down on her backside and grabbed her shoulder. Everyone came running over to see if she was okay and Akira heard her phone ring. She curse to herself for forgetting to take her phone out of her pocket before the game. Akira answered the phone.

"Hello?"

" _Akira? It's me, Tyler,"_ said the voice on the other end of the line.

"Tyler? What's up? I'm kinda busy here…" Akira looked to Sam, who just gave her a reassuring smile, then a wince.

" _Well, about that… I may or may not have tried to cook something for lunch and tripped. I kinda sprained my ankle…"_

Akira pinched the bridge of her nose. "Just stay put, I'll be there as fast as I can."

" _Okay, bye."_ The line went dead as Tyler hung up the phone.

Akira put her phone away and kneeled down next to Sam. "Apparently you and Tyler have this weird link when getting hurt." She laughed a little. "Tyler just called. He said that he sprained his ankle trying to make lunch." Akira, Mel, Sam, Robert, and Henry all broke out in a fit of laughter. Tyler really _couldn't_ cook to save his life. Akira turned back to Sam. "Do you think you guys will be okay without me? I have to go help Tyler."

"We'll be _fine_ ," Henry answered.

Akira nodded, then grabbed her things and ran to catch the next train back home.

Mel redirected her attention to Sam, who was still sitting on the ground. "Can you stand?"

Sam tried to stand, but when she put pressure on her right foot, pain shot through her ankle and she fell back down. "My ankle…"

Robert knelt down and touched Sam's ankle. She winced at the touch. "I think it's sprained."

Henry let out a laugh. "I guess you do have some sort of connection with Tyler and getting hurt."

Robert frowned, obviously not happy with the comment. He turned back to Sam. "I'll help you up."

Sam shook her head furiously, but Robert just smirked and ignored her silent protests. He scooped her up, carrying her bridal style, and walked off of the court. "Excuse me, sir." He addressed one of the supervisors of the event. "We would like to forfeit the match."

The guy nodded, then announced through the speaker system, _"Team M.A.R.S.H. has forfeited. Team Seirin wins by default and advances to the finals! Now, for a short intermission."_

The two teams filed out off of the court and sat down in a grassy area. Robert carefully set Sam down next to him and checked over her shoulder. "That's definitely going to leave a bruise."

Kuroko gave a small bow. "I sorry for hurting you, Lyons-san." Robert gave a confused look, then remembered how in Japan, the last name was said first.

Sam just nodded. "It's fine."

Just then, Kiyoshi jumped into the conversation. "I've been wondering… Why was your team name 'Marsh'?"

Mel was quick to answer. "It's an acronym made out of our names," she explained. "M for Mel, A for Akira, R for Robert, S for Sam, and lastly, H for Henry!"

Everyone nodded in understanding and the speaker system announced the final match. _"Finally - the match that will determine the champion of today's event! Both are high school teams! Which will turn out to be champion!? Assemble!"_

Seirin walked onto the court to face off against Himuro's team, and Sam and Mel watched from the side with Robert and Henry. Sam sat on the ground because of her ankle, and couldn't see over the people standing in the way. Robert noticed this and knelt down next to Sam.

"Are you having trouble seeing?" he asked. He got a nod in response. Robert turned around. "Here, get on."

Sam reluctantly climbed onto Robert's back and he stood up. Now Sam could see the court without anyone getting in the way.

" _Come!"_ continued the speakers. _"Both teams please get set - tip off!"_

Kagami and Himuro both jumped for the ball, but suddenly, a snack landed on top of the sphere and someone grabbed the ball before they could get it. Everyone stared up at the towering figure in surprise. Sam just wondered how it was possible to throw a package and have it lend perfectly atop a flying ball.

"Sorry~" he said. "Did I make you wait?"

"You're late again, Atsushi!" Himuro complained.

"Yeah, my bad. I got lost again!" was the tall boy's excuse.

Mel chuckled. _Of course he got lost,_ she thought.

To many people's surprise, Kuroko was the next to speak. "...It's been a while, Murasakibara-kun."

Murasakibara turned his head to face Kuroko. "Ne, isn't that Kuro-chin?" he asked no one in particular. "You look… dead serious as always…! So serious… makes me want to crush it!" He reached his hand out to Kuroko, like he was going to crush him and everyone started freaking out - except for Hirumo, Mel, and the rest of her team. Murasakibara then started to ruffle Kuroko's hair and he bent down so that they were eye-level. "Na~h, I'm just teasing you!"

"Please stop that now," Kuroko demanded as he hit the taller boy's hand away from his head.

"What, you angry?" Murasakibara asked. "Sorry, I said!"

Kagami suddenly looked excited and the purple-haired boy pulled out a bag of chips. He popped it open and started eating. Mel started laughing.

"It's just like Atsushi to pull a snack out of nowhere and start eating, and I bet Kagami's getting himself hyped thinking he's going to face one of the GoM!" Sam nodded, agreeing with Mel about Kagami.

Mel and Sam started to zone out when they started talking about the Inter-High, but Mel snapped out of it when she heard Murasakibara.

"Ahh, you can't! Our school Yosen doesn't allow us to go for non-school related competitions!" he announced. "I almost forgot myself! I stopped you just now because of that!"

Himuro turned toward his purple-haired friend. "Do we have such a rule? ...In that case, no choice-"

"Now let's go!" Murasakibara interrupted, pushing Himuro off the court.

"Stop where you are!" Kagami commanded. "You can't just pop up in people's matches and walk away like this! Be my opponent!"

Mel started snickering, then burst out into a fit of laughter when the teams started getting yelled at by the supervisor of the tournament. She had finally calmed herself down, only to start laughing again when Murasakibara changed the subject.

"Let's not talk about that," he said. "What's wrong with your eyebrows?" The boy started picking at Kagami's eyebrows and plucked out a hair.

Now, Mel was rolling on the ground, laughing her heart out as Kagami started shouting complaints. Murasakibara was acting like a child, thinking he did nothing wrong and apologizing half-heartedly. Mel couldn't even take it anymore when Kagami used childish tactics to get Murasakibara to play against him.

Finally, the game was starting and everyone got into position. The ball was thrown into the air - again - but this time, Murasakibara and Kagami jumped for it. Kagami tapped the ball to one of his teammates. The boy passed the ball to Kuroko and the bluenette used his Ignite Pass on the ball to Kiyoshi. The second year had the ball in position for a dunk and made it in.

Mel was too busy studying her future opponents and wasn't paying attention to the boy, Kiyoshi's, talk with Murasakibara. She only started paying attention when Murasakibara reached out to the second year intimidatingly.

"Later you'll wish… I'd just forgotten about you!" Kiyoshi didn't react and stayed strong against the taller first year.

"Atsushi!" Himuro called. "Excuse me, but you can perform later! This is an impromptu team, so let's decide our positions now. Atsushi's on defense, and for offence, I'll take points off them!"

Murasakibara waved his hand up and down. "Sure. Do your best, whatever that means."

Mel burst into laughter - again. She loved her teammates and their stupidity.

The game started again and Himuro had the ball. He was blocked by Kagami, but it didn't seem to faze him. Himuro swiftly jumped and shot the ball. The shot was beautifully done and everyone except for Murasakibara, Mel, Sam, Robert, and Henry spaced out. Kiyoshi was the first to come back to focus.

"Furihata! Don't just stand and stare, it's our turn!" Kiyoshi yelled to get the boy's attention.

Furihata looked flustered. "Yes… coming!"

Robert turned to Mel. "Your friend has beautiful form."

Mel smiled and nodded her head. "Yes, he does."

Henry nodded his head, too. "It just makes me want to see him falter." He smiled. "No... _I_ want to make him falter."

His teammates deadpanned at their friend's behavior. Henry enjoyed doing the weirdest things. Last year, they found him poking at a dead bird. Needless to say, his friends hurried over to stop him, but to this day, Henry still tries to study whatever dead thing he can get his hands on.

The friends snapped out of their daydreaming when they heard a loud noise come from the court. Kuroko had just used his Ignite Pass to Kagami. The redhead rushed to the other side of the court, but Murasakibara, who was on defense under the hoop, didn't seem to care.

"Don't get hotheaded like that! Like a reckless idiot… it makes me want to crush you down." Murasakibara gave off a menacing aura that could be felt by everyone on the Seirin team. Then… it started raining.

"Where did this rain come from?" Robert asked no one in particular. "The sky was clear just a minute ago."

"Hey! Do you guys want to stay out here and see how long it would take to get sick?" Henry asked a little _too_ enthusiastically.

"No," the others answered at the same time.

Suddenly, Mel was grabbed around the waist and lifted up. "Come on, Terre-chin~," said a childish voice. "We're leaving." Murasakibara carried Mel with him and Himuro as they made their way back home.

"Wait! Don't carry me!" Mel tried struggling out of the giant's grip, but it was no use. Eventually, she just slumped forward, no longer resisting her teammate's choice of transportation.

Meanwhile, Robert and Henry ran to take cover from the rain, following Seirin. Once they got under a roof, they started drying off. It was then Robert remembered that he was carrying Sam. He lightly shook her as he spoke.

"Sam…?" No answer. "Hey, Sam, you there?" There was still no answer from the girl. Then, he felt her shift a little on his back and her arms tighten a little around his neck.

Henry smiled. "She's asleep, dude."

Robert could feel the heat rush to his face after he took a second to process the piece of information Henry had given him. He shook it off and walked over to Seirin as Kagami announced that the coach wanted them to get back to school… "Hey," he said, getting their attention. "Um, Sam is asleep, and she was originally with you guys, so can I just follow you guys back, too?"

They all turned to look at each other, then at Sam on Robert's back. Kiyoshi was the one who answered.

"Sure…"

With that, the team, and Robert, headed back to the Seirin gym.

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It was still raining when the group made it back to Seirin's gym. The door was open and they could hear voices. It seemed that the seniors were there. When they walked in, the group was greeted by an irritated coach.

"Yo," she said darkly.

Suddenly, a pink-haired girl with a ridiculously stretched bear shirt came running to the group, or more specifically, to Kuroko.

"Tetsu-kun!" she said loudly as she crashed into the bluenette.

The boy gave a slightly surprised look. "Momoi-san?"

Kagami and the rest of his team looked at Kuroko with anger and jealousy in their eyes.

"Coach… what happened while we weren't around?" asked one of the first years.

Riko looked tired as she began to explain what had happened. When she was done, Kuroko decided to ask what was wrong.

"I think… I think Aomine-kun hates me now...!" Satsuki started crying again, waking Sam up from her nap. Sam rubbed her eyes with her sleeve and realized that it was wet. She suddenly felt the cold hit her and she sneezed.

Robert turned to look back at Sam. "I see you're awake," he said as he lowered her down so she could sit on the bench. Sam noticed that she was soaked. Luckily, she wasn't wearing any white, but black instead. Robert grabbed a jacket from his bag and wrapped it around Sam, then sat next to her. They turned to Kuroko who put his hand on Satsuki's head.

"It'll be alright, Momoi-san!" he said encouragingly. "Aomine-kun said things he didn't mean out of anger! There's no way he'd ever hate you!" Kuroko gave a small smile. "Let's go back. I'm sure Aomine-kun is out there looking for you now!"

 _Wow_ , Sam, Robert, and just about everyone in the gym thought. _He's good._

"Excuse me, but I'll be taking my leave," Kuroko said as he stood straight again. "I'm going back with Momoi-san." The two left the gym, leaving Robert, Sam, and the rest of Seirin.

Robert stood up and picked Sam up on his back again. "Well, I think I should be leaving, too!" he said with a smile and started walking to the door. A voice stopped him.

"Wait!"

Robert turned around and found out that it was Kagami who had halted him. "Yes?"

The boy voiced what was on everyone's minds. "Who are you?"

Sam groaned loudly and the team gave a look of confusion. Robert just smiled and pointed a finger at the group, startling them.

"Who am I, you ask? Why, I'm none other than the thief who steals away your chance of winning! The pickpocket of the ball, the robber of victory! I am Robert Asher of Tampa, Florida!"

Sam sighed. "You said your name ba-"

"I am Asher Robert of Tampa, Florida!" he quickly corrected before Sam could finish. "Beware!" Everyone in the room facepalmed and Sam just plopped her head forward on Robert's back. The boy just laughed and turned to face Sam. "What, didn't like it?"

Sam shook her head.

Robert turned back to the group and put on a stern face. "By the way, what school does this 'Aomine' character go to?"

Hyuga had a stern look, too. "Touou Academy."

"Heh…" Robert smirked. "It looks like I'll have to deal with a difficult team member by how you guys were talking about him."

Everyone, including Sam, was surprised. "You mean you-" Before Hyuga could finish his sentence, Robert nodded and started talking.

"Yup. I can't wait to face you guys in a real game in the future." He smirked. "We'll see if having two of the Crimson Dragons and your first year duo is enough to defeat me, Aomine, and the rest of the team." With that, Robert walked out of the gym, carrying Sam, who was starting to doze off again. As he stepped out the door, he faintly heard Kagami's voice.

"What kind of group name is that?"

"It's way better than 'Generation of Miracles!" Robert yelled back. He didn't get to see their reaction as the door closed. Not wanting to take Sam home yet, Robert decided to walk around the neighborhood. Eventually, they saw some basketball courts and heard faint voices coming from them. When they got closer, Sam and Robert noticed Kuroko and Satsuki. Kuroko dribbled the ball as he ran toward the pink-haired girl and effortlessly passed her. She seemed perplexed.

Afterwards, Satsuki felt and Kuroko finally noticed his audience. "Hello."

Robert smiled. "Sup!"

There was a second of silence before Kuroko spoke again. "Did you see?"

Sam and Robert nodded. There was more silence.

"Um, how is your shoulder, Lyons-san?" Kuroko asked.

Sam rolled her shoulder. It no longer sent a sharp pain through her body, but it was still very sore. "Better."

Kuroko nodded, then looked to Robert. "Well, I should be leaving now." He gave a short bow, then turned back to Sam. "See you at practice." He walked off home, leaving the two friends alone again.

"I think I should get you home now," said Robert a bit reluctantly. He started walking in a random direction, and since Sam didn't correct him, he assumed he was going the right way. The trip was quiet, with only the sounds of bugs buzzing or cats on the prowl. Finally, Sam decided to ask what was on her mind.

"So, Touou?"

Robert smiled. "Yup! Are you scared to go up against a team with one of the Generation of Miracles _and_ a Crimson Dragon?"

Sam thought for a moment before speaking. "So you _did_ know who Aomine was."

The boy felt like he was being interrogated, but laughed anyway. "You caught on quickly. Yes, I do know the guy. I met him briefly after I joined Touou's basketball team," Robert explained. "He was picking up a horrible magazine he forgot and seemed like a lazy jerk. The team is pretty interesting, too, but one could tell they're no joke... any of them."

Silence filled the air again as Robert finished talking. Eventually, Sam answered Robert's original question. "I'm not afraid."

Robert smiled and the two headed home in a comfortable silence.

(Extra)

The next day, Akira and Sam were practicing with the rest of the team at the school's gym. Akira was on a team with Kuroko, Kiyoshi, and Hyuga while Sam was with Kagami, Mitobe, and Izuki. The speedy redhead passed the ball to Hyuga for a three-pointer, then moved to screen Kagami to prevent him from interfering. Kagami tried to get away, but Akira was fast it blocking him. Seeing her teammate having trouble, Sam ran behind to screen Akira so Kagami could pass. Kagami then broke through and stopped Hyuga's three.

Suddenly, the door burst open and in came running a very surprised and confused Robert. "Sam!" he shouted as he ran and crashed into said brunette. The two fell to the ground.

"Sam! Tell me it's not true!" Robert shouted hysterically. He didn't even give Sam a chance to get back up.

Akira walked over with a confused look on her face. "What are you talking about, Robert?"

Robert swiftly pulled out his phone and showed her the video that was already open. Everyone else in the room became curious and moved closer to see, too. The video showed Sam and Kasamatsu during the award portion of the battle of the bands. Sam was pushed into Kasamatsu, and with the position of the camera that took the video, it looked like the two kissed.

Everyone in the room, except for Sam and Robert, broke out into a fit of laughter. Sam flushed while Robert started tearing up.

"It's not funny!" he shouted.

"I beg to differ," stated Akira.

Robert turned to Sam and shook her violently. "Why didn't you tell me you've had your first kiss?! Was this boy really good enough?!"

"I think you've got it wrong," interrupted Kiyoshi. "They didn't kiss at the competition. The camera just makes it seem like they kissed."

Robert froze. "S-s-so they _didn't_ kiss?"

No one dared speak. If he knew about the time at the beach…

Akira cleared her throat. "Well…" Before she could say anything else, Mel burst through the door laughing.

"Sam! You didn't tell me you and Kasamatsu kissed again!" she said holding her phone. She was watching the same video Robert had open.

Robert clutched Sam to his chest and buried his head in the crook of her neck, making her squirm.

 **Robert and Henry have arrived in Japan, and Robert has found out about Sam and Kasamatsu's "kiss." This is getting totally hilarious! Keep reading, and once again, WE LOVE REVIEWS! - Maelstrom_MVF**

 **Thank you soo much for reading! Personally, I love Robert's character. It's so fun writing about him. Anyway, hope you read the next chapter! I will try not to update late this time… - Aloysius**


	12. Chapter 12

**The Winter Cup is beginning, and everyone's seriously excited! What's gonna happen?**

 **Q: Why did the chicken cross the basketball court?**

 **A: Because the ref called fowl. - Maelstrom_MVF**

 **There are going to be a few surprises during this match, and I hope you like them! And I am sooo sorry for taking so long. AP take up all of my free time, so it's hard to post on time. Ope you stay with us! - Aloysius**

Ch 12

It was finally November 7th, the first day of the Winter Cup preliminaries. The team was outside the school, ready for the day ahead of them. Kagami was spinning a ball on his left wrist and doing a bunch of tricks, showing how his ball control with his left hand had improved. The team was complimenting his amazing progress, then killed it by mentioning Kagami's inability to sleep before important matches. Akira and Sam just giggled to themselves at the comment.

"It looks like you're just the opposite of Kagami, Sam," Akira said as she nudged Sam's shoulder.

Sam just nodded with a yawn and rubbed her eyes. Afterwards, Riko took count of who was present.

"Let's get going! Is everyone here?" She started counting players, then announced that someone was missing. Needless to say, the person "missing" was Kuroko, and he wasn't missing. But, he did come at the last minute. After making himself known, the team headed to the stadium.

0000000000000

(Same time at Yosen)

Murasakibara and Mel were eating popsicles while talking with Himuro. "Special bracket?" Mel and Murasakibara asked at the same time.

Himuro nodded. "This year's Winter Cup is some memorial anniversary tournament. So the winner and the runner-up of the Inter-High and automatically accepted and to balance it out, there'll be more schools participating," he explained. "In short, Atsushi's friends, Aomine-kun and Akashi-kun, are already set to participate. Thanks to last week's preliminary, Kise-kun and we are set for the normal bracket."

Murasakibara took the icicle out of his mouth. "Hmmmmm, Muro-chin, you seem pretty hyped up?" Mel nodded in agreement.

"Well, I didn't play during the Inter-High," Himuro answered. "Including the match with Taiga, I can't wait to fight Atsushi's friends."

"Don't forget my friends!" reminded Mel enthusiastically.

Himuro chuckled. "Yes, Mel's friends, too."

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(Back with Seirin)

Akira, Sam, and the rest of the team were in a meeting room at the stadium. They were going over the teams that were participating in the preliminaries. The first team they were up against was Josei High School. Seirin filed out of the room and headed to the court where they could hear the noise of hundreds of people. Just then, the speaker sounded.

" _Now, we'll begin the match between Seirin High School and Josei High School! Both teams line up."_

Akira turned to see Kiyoshi talking with Hyuga as they walked to the court. Kiyoshi couldn't seem to stop smiling. She then turned to Sam, who looked like she was half asleep. _Just like Kagami…_ The previous night, Sam was so excited she couldn't sleep. The only difference from Kagami was that her eyes weren't red from the lack of sleep. Suddenly, Akira heard one of their opponents talking about uncrowned kings. The boy also mentioned Kiyoshi being one of them, the "iron heart" as he called him. Akira put the information off to the side for later as she watched Kuroko, Kagami, Hyuga, Izuki, and Kiyoshi walked onto the court to meet their opponents.

" _At this time, Winter Cup Regional Preliminary, the 4th match of the best of 4 determination battle, Seirin High School vs. Josei High School will commence! Salute! Let's have have a clean match!"_

Suddenly, one of Josei's players started crying. Everyone, including his own team, was confused. Then he explained how his captain got his hopes up by telling him that Seirin's coach was a girl. Koganei and Mitobe were shaking on the bench and Sam and Akira just shook her head as Riko began laughing. She made a "chop off their heads" gesture, telling the team to slaughter Josei. She then burst into fury and the guys were terrified, already pouring sweat before the game had even started.

"Alright everyone," Hyuga said to the team, "we've got another reason we can't lose; if we lose, we're the ones getting slaughtered…"

The team agreed and they got into position for the toss.

0000000000000000

Robert decided to go to Seirin's first preliminary match with Imayoshi and Sakurai. They were walking into the building when Sakurai asked Imayoshi who he thought would win.

"Who knows," he answered. "Their strengths are equal, but… for Seirin, Josei is their worst match. Seirin's inside is really weak. On the other hand, Josei's selling point is their powerful inside. Especially their newly arrived first year center, he has quite a lot of power." He stepped through the door to the gym's audience seats. "For Seirin, they may be tough opponents…"

Robert stepped in after Imayoshi and the first thing he noticed was the score. It was 5 to 13, Josei in the lead.

"What's this!?" Imayoshi exclaimed. "They're having more trouble than I expected."

Down on the court, Kagami was being guarded by two of Josei's players. One of them managed to hit the ball out of Kagami's hand and gained their team possession of the ball. Kagami started yelling curses, so Kuroko had to calm him down. Just then, Kiyoshi started hitting Kagami on the top of the head playfully (read: vigorously). They discussed their plan, then the game started again. Kiyoshi had the ball and jumped into position for a hook shot. The other team got ready to block his shot, but Kiyoshi gripped the ball and passed it to Hyuga, who was free. Everyone was surprised at his unpredictability and Hyuga scored a three-pointer. From there, the game was starting to go well, until Kuroko decided to pass to Kagami, and when Kagami jumped to dunk the ball, he hit his forehead on the rim and fell backwards. Needless to say, everyone was surprised at the sight. Finally, the first quarter had ended and Seirin was leading, 29 to 18. Kuroko was giving the task to drag Kagami's body off of the court.

Akira stood up to give the team high-fives and Sam gave them a thumb up. Akira then started talking to Kuroko about his effectiveness in the game and Sam walked over to Kagami, who was lying on the ground, unconscious. She knelt down and poked his cheek. The boy twitched on contact, the opened his eyes. Confusion washed over his face, but the team rushed him onto the court for the second quarter.

In the second quarter, Kiyoshi was showing off his skills in handling the ball and getting the rebounds. The crown was going crazy! Seirin was now leading, 91 to 53.

"The tide turned in one swift move," said Imayoshi.

"So strong…" commented Sakurai.

Robert just focused on his future opponents. He noticed that Sam and Akira were still on the bench, but understood. Seirin was winning and there wasn't any need to bring out their trump cards.

"As expected, Kiyoshi's return is a huge advantage," continued Imayoshi. "It's not only a simple increase of firepower, the instability is completely gone. Especially rebound. Now Seirin's inside is a threat rather than a weakness. If there's a strong center, you can get the rebound. If you can get the rebound, the teammates can shoot without hesitation," he explained. "As a result, it goes in well."

The crowd was screaming as Seirin scored again. Kagami on the other hand, was very irritated by the fact that the other team was still double-teaming him, not letting him score. Kuroko, thinking his friend was a little _too_ hot-headed, pulled his wristband back against his thumb and launched it against the side of Kagami's face. Kagami then exploded, but Kuroko, with the help of Akira, used their flawless logic, making Kagami unable to talk back. It was then the redhead noticed three people in the stand. It was Imayoshi, Sakurai, and the guy he had briefly met on the day of the 5-on-5 tournament, Robert. Now, Kagami was flaming. He was once again double-teamed, but he noticed their lack of spirit and got past them. Even when he was blocked again, he shot past and jumped to dunk the ball.

There's no proof. But they all sensed it. They're all geniuses that appear once in a decade; the "Generation of Miracles". The only ones that can counter such overwhelming talent 1-on-1 are the "Generation of Miracles" alone. Players who are on the same level as them don't exist, and even if they do appear, they'll only be in a very distant future… that's how it was supposed to be. What they heard was the sound of the gate. The sound of the gate only extraordinary geniuses can enter... being forced open.

Kagami dunked the ball - this time properly - and officially declared war to Touou and the rest of the "Generation of Miracles". The only unfortunate part was that he lost his balance and fell backwards on the ground again.

It was the end of the match and Seirin had won, 108 to 61. Kuroko helped Kagami off of the floor and they met with the rest of the team by the benches. Akira jumped up and punched Kagami in the arm.

"Great job, Kagami!" Akira then moved to wrap her arm around Kuroko's shoulders. "You, too, Kuroko!" She had a huge smile on her face and Kuroko couldn't help but smile a little, too. For some reason, his smile sent Akira's heart racing.

With Seirin's victory as a start, the remaining matches that began simultaneously in various courts also came to an end. With that, the four participating schools for the finals league that will be determine the two Tokyo representatives for the winter cup, have been determined.

As the team was walking back, the first years were looking at the tournament sheet.

"Like it or not, there are only three matches left… the Winter Cup preliminary will be over in an instant..."

"What are you saying?!" exclaimed Hyuga. "It's the opposite! We're _finally_ here."

Riko was then explaining how the Winter Cup already starts when the Inter High starts because the eight top teams from the Inter High move on to participate in the Winter Cup. After a moment of silence, she spoke again. "The first opponent for the finals league is Senshinkan! We lost to them twice already, so we'll have our revenge against then for sure!"

"Ah!" the team cheered.

Kuroko walked up to Kagami, Akira, and Sam, and the three turned to face him. "Kagami-kun, Mizutani-san, Lyons-san, later, can you spare some time for me?"

000000000000000000000

The four walked to a neighborhood basketball court and Kagami finally decided to ask what they were doing.

"So… what?"

Kuroko dropped his bag and rummaged through it. "Kagami-kun, can you be my practice partner for my new drive?"

Kagami gave an irritated face. "...!? Hey, hey, it's still not ready yet?"

Akira was confused while Sam just remembered the time she and Robert found Kuroko working on his "vanishing drive" with Satsuki.

"It's pretty much done, at the practice stage. What I'm asking are the final touches for the anti-human practice." Akira let out a little chuckle.

Kagami smirked. "... I see. Okay, bring it on."

The two got into position for a 1-on-1 match and Kuroko looked over to the girls - more specifically Akira - to make sure they were watching. Then, he dribbled the ball toward Kagami and easily passed him. Akira's eyes went wide. She couldn't believe he had passed the monstrous Kagami so effortlessly! Kagami gave a surprised face as well, but then he noticed that the ball slipped out of Kuroko's grip.

"What do you mean by 'it's pretty much done'?! You've completely lost the ball!"

"That was a failure. I lost the ball," Kuroko repeated calmly, making Akira once again chuckle. She loved his hilariously blunt personality.

"That's what I just said!" Kagami said irritatedly. He grabbed the ball, then looked at it, surprised. The cover of the ball was wearing off, making it smooth and slippery with barely any friction. Akira took a closer look at the ball, too, and was also surprised. Akira and Kagami couldn't believe that Kuroko had worn it out so much in just one summer. When Sam saw it, she wasn't really surprised, but impressed. Kagami passed it back to Kuroko.

"Looks like it's time to change this ball, too," he said. "Although it's a waste… It would be nice if I could use the gym more often… This is the sixth ball already."

Akira and Kagami were even more surprised at Kuroko's comment and Sam's respect for Kuroko rose even more. _Kuroko…_

00000000000000000

It was the next day, day two of the preliminary matches. Seirin's opponents, Seishinkan, couldn't believe how strong Seirin had gotten over the summer and had lost, 78 to 61. Over on the other court, Shutoku creamed Kirisaki Daiichi, but the first string players of Kirisaki Daiichi weren't playing. They were watching Seirin's match in the stands.

And so, Winter Cup preliminary Finals League, day 1: complete. Seirin, who experienced a dramatic increase in strength due to Kiyoshi's return and summer training, successfully avenged their summer losses against monarch of the west, Seishinkan, and decorated their first match with glory. Meanwhile, "Generation of Miracles" Midorima Shintaro's Shutoku also achieved a complete victory over Kirisaki Daiichi. The battle over the two spots for the winter cup qualification opened its curtains with Seirin and Shutoku gaining a one-step lead - and Seirin High School vs. Shutoku High School, their second clash, had been decided.

As Seirin was walking out of the building, the team was discussing the upcoming match against Shutoku.

"We don't even have time to celebrate," said Hyuga. "Tomorrow will be an extremely tough battle, without a doubt."

"But we have Kiyoshi-senpai," said one of the first years. "And… we're completely different than before. We won last time too…"

"I don't think so," interrupted Kuroko. "I have a feeling the next match will be even tougher because of that."

Riko turned her head to see everyone. "Looks like Kuroko isn't delusioned. We won the last match by pure luck; in terms of strength, they're much higher."

"But they won't be thinking like that any longer," added Hyuga. "The opponents who should be looking down on us with authority, are now coming at us with everything they've got. To add to that, our opponent isn't some average Joe, but one of the 'Generation of Miracles'. It won't be easy." Most of the team looked worried, but Akira, Sam, Kuroko, and Kagami gave a stern face. Kiyoshi did too.

"...Sorry everyone. Go ahead before me," said Kiyoshi. He stopped walking while everyone else went on. Akira decided to stay behind secretly to see why Kiyoshi seemed so serious. She pulled Sam along with her and smirked when she found out Sam was curious, too.

"Long time no see, Hanamiya," greeted Kiyoshi. The girls turned to see a boy sitting on a bench. He was really creepy. After thinking for a few seconds, Akira and Sam remembered him. He was Hanamiya Makoto, one of the uncrowned kings. Sam had researched the group after one of their previous opponents had mentioned Kiyoshi being one.

"Hey… I was dying to see you!" the creep said.

"I saw you during the match. You weren't playing against Shutoku on purpose."

"Yup, something wrong?"

"I don't care whether it's right or wrong," Kiyoshi said. "I just don't like it."

The guy, Hanamiya, smirked. "... Fuhaha. As usual, your goody-two-shoes act is so lame, Kiyoshi. If I try hard and reveal all my cards today, then all 3 matches will become serious fights, and that will be tiresome." He gave an evil smile. "I don't care about the immediate victory. Since in the remaining two, you guys will lose by yourself."

"...!? What does that mean?" Kiyoshi asked.

"Oops - I said too much. Shutoku's next, right?" he asked as he stood up from the bench. "Please do your best, I'll be cheering! Aah! Also… heal your wounds quickly; I'm pretty concerned, you know!" Hanami walked away, leaving a shocked Kiyoshi behind. Akira and Sam took their chance to show themselves.

"That guy is sooo creepy!" said Akira, startling Kiyoshi.

"Wha-? You guys were still here?" he asked.

Sam nodded. She put on a serious look. "What's this I hear about an injury?"

Kiyoshi was surprised again by Sam actually talking, then smiled. "It's nothing." He walked away, back to the rest of the team. Akira and Sam followed along.

"It's his knee, isn't it?" Akira whispered to Sam, who only nodded. So many things ran through Akira's head. Kiyoshi was injured, yet still fought for Seirin instead of getting it healed. It didn't quite make since why he would do such a thing. Wouldn't it be better for him, and the team, if he were to heal his injury instead of play with it and make it worse?

" _Ohhh, here they come!"_ sounded the speaker as they passed into the court area. _"Seirin and Shutoku! The most anticipated match of the finals league."_

At Seirin's bench, the team gathered around for a before-the-game talk.

"Kagami-kun… did you see Midorima-kun's face when he entered?"

Kagami looked to Kuroko. "... Yeah…"

Sam and Akira tried to figure out who this 'Midorima' character was, and when Sam saw the green-haired boy on the other team, she started freaking out. Akira noticed Sam's odd behavior and leaned in closer.

"What's up?" she whispered. Sam just pointed to Midorima. Akira looked over, then back to Sam. "Is there something wrong with him?"

"Let's just say we don't like each other very much," Sam whispered back. Akira nodded her head and the two turned their attention back to the team.

"They aren't the only ones who have suffered painful losses," said Hyuga as he stood up. The rest of the team followed his example. The starters walked onto the court while the people on the bench stayed behind. Akira and Sam were one of the members on the bench because Riko said that she would only put them in if it was completely necessary. Akira grumbled a bit, but immediately stopped when Riko turned to her with a monstrous look in her eyes.

"As expected," started Riko. "They don't have a single bit of carelessness. Assuming Shutoku's strategy is the same as last time, in order for us to win, taking care of Midorima-kun is necessary. His super long 3-pointer, most likely has a limit to how many times he can use it…!" Riko continued to explain how they needed to decrease Midorima's accuracy if they couldn't stop him. It was then the game was to begin.

" _Bow! Let's have a clean match!"_

Kiyoshi was going up against Shutoku's number 4, Otsubo, according to the crowd's loud cheering, on the tip-off. Both of them jumped as the ball was thrown into the air and they both hit it at the same time. Izuki got the ball, but it was quickly stolen by Takao. The point guard passed the ball to Kimura, who was about to pass it again, but Kuroko hit the ball out of the boy's hand. Unfortunately, it was Midorima who picked up the ball. Midorima readied his shot and jumped, only to be blocked by Kagami. The ball went out of bounds and went to Shutoku. Midorima took the ball out, passing it to Takao. Takao passed it back to Midorima and the green-haired boy jumped to shoot. Kagami once again blocked the shot. They continued to jump and block and Seirin was winning, 23 to 16. Uneasiness could be felt throughout Seirin.

"Midorima's friend has already gotten used to Kuroko's misdirection," Akira stated. Sam nodded. The red head continued to focus on her blue-haired friend with a bit on concern.

Just then, Midorima had the ball and crouched down like he was going to shoot. Kagami jumped to block, but it was a fake. Midorima moved around Kagami, who jumped again from behind to try and block Shutoku's ace. He touched the ball, sending it off target, making the ball hit the rim. Kuroko was the first to get the ball, surprising many with his trust in Kagami. He threw the ball with all his might all the way across the court, sending it to Kagami who dunked the ball. Midorima took possession of the ball again and got into shooting position. Kagami, not knowing if Midorima would shoot of fake, jumped to block the shot, only to find out Midorima was faking. He passed Kagami and got into shooting position again, only to be blocked by Kiyoshi. Then, the cancer did something no one expected. He passed the ball. Shutoku scored a 2-pointer, leaving everyone still in shock from Midorima's act of teamwork.

"Don't be flustered!" shouted Riko. "Shout and cheer properly! We're in a pinch, but it's just a pinch. It's not like the match is over."

"Last year, he was the one who constantly saved Seirin's crisis," added Koganei. "Kiyoshi's the type who's the most reliable at times like these."

Akira grabbed Sam's hand and squeezed it. Sam did the same. They were getting excited and they _really_ wanted to be put in _immediately_. All of the sudden Riko called Akira and Sam.

"Are you two in disguise?" she asked referring to them dressing as guys so they wouldn't get in trouble for playing on a boys' basketball team. Akira and Sam nodded, hoping they knew where the conversation was going. "Sam, you're going in." Sam nodded and stood from her seat while Akira let out a little pout. She walked onto the court as they called for a member change. She high-fived Kuroko and walked to the rest of Seirin's players.

Akira pat Kuroko's head as he sat down next to her. "You did great!" she said encouragingly.

00000000000000000000

(With Robert)

Robert was running after Satsuki, who didn't want to be late for Seirin's match against Shutoku. He didn't really have any trouble - seeing as how he was faster than her - but he really didn't feel like running. They burst through the doors in the audience section and Satsuki started complaining about Aomine making her late.

"Ah? It's Momocchi!" said a male voice next to the Touou students. "You came to watch Kurokocchi and Midorimacchi's match?" As Satsuki started conversing with who she called 'Ki-chan', Robert looked passed the blonde and found none other than Henry watching the game.

" **Yo! Henry! How's it goin'?"** Robert asked as he moved so that he was standing next to his white-haired friend.

Henry turned and smiled at Robert. **"How's what goin'? With me or the match?"**

Robert scratched his chin and shrugged. **"Both."**

" **I'm fine, thanks for asking. The game, it's getting heated."**

Robert turned his gaze to the court and found that Seirin had put Sam in the game. He smiled. Just as Robert was about to ask Henry about Sam and Akira, Satsuki startled everyone with her squeal.

"Robert!" she shouted. "Is that Henry, another Crimson Dragon?" Robert nodded. Satsuki suddenly got up close to Henry. "It is!" She started circling Henry, looking him up and down. "Where are the other Crimson Dragons?"

Robert and Henry both pointed to the court. "Sam is on the court now," they said simultaneously.

Satsuki looked to the court and instantly noticed one of Seirin's new players. "Oh~! I can't wait to meet the rest of the Dragons!" Robert let out a weak laugh and Henry just continued to smile.

Kise gave a confused look. "Who are the Crimson Dragons?"

Satsuki gave a look of surprise. "You don't know who the Crimson Dragons are?! They're America's strongest high school basketball team! Their team is co-ed and they're on the same level as the 'Generation of Miracles'!" the pink-haired girl exclaimed.

Kise turned to Henry. "Why didn't you tell me any of this, Cadwellcchi?!" He cried out in exasperation. Henry didn't break his smile.

"You never asked."

Robert blanched as Satsuki, Henry, and Kise continued their loud conversation and turned back to the game. He noticed that Sam was trying to hide from something… or someone. Robert wondered why.

Sam _was_ in fact hiding from someone. She was trying to hide from Midorima. She had visited her family in Japan a few years back and had run into the horoscope obsessed boy. To put it shortly, she ticked him off. Unfortunately, Kagami and Kiyoshi, the boys she was hiding behind, moved, leaving her open right when Midorima decided to look over. At first he just looked confused. He didn't know that Seirin had gotten new members. It took him a few seconds to recognize the brunette, but once he did, he pointed to her and shouted.

"It's _you_!" There was anger and irritation laced in his voice.

Everyone looked at Midorima, confused, then looked to where he was pointing. Sam sighed and let out a nervous laugh.

(Flashback)

 _Sam had arrived in Japan to visit her family and decided to grab something to eat before heading to her cousins' house. She bought a steam bun and sat down on a bench to eat. Several minutes later, a boy quite taller than her with green hair and eyes, and glasses took a seat next to her. He put down a popsicle stick next to him and started messing with his phone. Sam, who was irritated with him not throwing away his 'trash', picked up the stick and threw it away with her wrapper. The green-haired boy noticed a moment too late and shot up from the bench._

" _Hey! You just threw away my lucky item!" he shouted._

Lucky item? _Sam didn't understand what the boy was talking about and shrugged. She began walking away when a strong hand seized her shoulder, making her wince._

" _Don't just walk away!" he continued. Before anyone could say anything else, another boy jumped in._

" _Hey! Midorima, right? I don't think that's a very nice way to act to a stranger." The boy was shorter than the green-haired boy and had black hair and blue-grey eyes. That was all Sam noticed before she ran away from the two._

(End of flashback)

Sam scratched her head. _How does he still remember me?! He must have been_ really _mad…_ She waved to the boy with a nervous smile. All of the sudden, Midorima's friend popped out of nowhere.

"It's you!" he said, but with surprise instead of anger. "You're the guy who threw Shin-chan's lucky item away a few years ago!"

Midorima gave a look of surprise. "How did _you_ know that?!"

Everyone gave a look of disbelief. _He kept a grudge on a stranger for years just because they threw away his lucky item?! He really_ is _obsessed,_ the players thought.

Midorima glared at Sam. "Today is the day I get you back," he said darkly.

Honestly, Sam wasn't scared. She knew full well that the match wasn't going to be easy, but she was ready. She smiled darkly back and pointed to the boy, much to his surprise. "You wish."

The game started again and Sam was flaring with energy. One of Shutoku's players scored, but she didn't let it get to her. Izuki threw the ball to Hyuga, who quickly passed it to Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi jumped to score, but when someone tried to block him, he passed it to Sam. The girl jumped and made the shot, scoring a 3-pointer. Hyuga was the next to score. Kagami tried to catch a rebound, but Shutoku got to it first. The ball was passed to Midorima, who jumped and shot. What the boy wasn't expecting was for Sam to appear right in front of him at the last second and make the ball disappear right when he let go.

Robert smiled. He was the one who taught her how to incorporate her illusions in her stealing. "Go Sam!" he shouted.

At the end of the second quarter, the speakers blared. _"We'll go for a 10 minute break."_ Seirin was winning, 45 to 43. Sam had aided Kagami in trying to shut Midorima down, but she just didn't have enough stamina, and without a nap before the game, Sam just couldn't last for the whole game. She walked back to the bench with the other players and sat down on the floor. Within a few seconds, she was asleep and fell backwards till she was laying down. Akira laughed.

"I guess it's time for the other Crimson Dragon to show its fangs," she said to herself. The rest of the team heard her and finally asked what they had been wondering since the girls joined.

"Who are the Crimson Dragons?" Kagami asked.

Akira looked up at the team. "I'm surprised it took you so long to ask!" She clapped her hands together. "The Crimson Dragons are a basketball team made up of both boys and girls. We are the number one team in America and we decided to come to Japan because we learned that there was a group called the 'Generation of Miracles' who were considered geniuses at the sport!"

Riko's eyes widened. "I knew I heard of the name before! The Crimson Dragons are a co-ed team that are on par with the 'Generation of Miracles'!"

Everyone stared at Akira in amazement, then to the sleeping form of Sam. "You said 'we'?"

Akira nodded. "Sam and I are Crimson Dragons! Mel, the girl you guys met when we went to the beach, and Robert and Henry, the guys you met at the 5-on-5, are Crimson Dragons, too!"

The others were shocked. _There were others like the 'Generation of Miracles'?!_ Akira was surprised that they never put the pieces together when they saw the five play. Kuroko actually did notice how strong they were and wondered who was stronger, the 'Generation of Miracles' or the Crimson Dragons. He looked at Akira and couldn't help but be at least a little amazed at her speed on the court. He didn't notice that he was staring until the speakers rang again.

" _The break's over. Now the third quarter will begin!"_

Sam was switched out with Akira because she was still asleep and Akira couldn't wait to face one of 'Generation of Miracles' any longer. She hopped off the bench and stepped onto the court.

Midorima noticed that Sam was no longer on the court and turned to Akira. His eyes widened and his mouth hung open a bit. After taking a few seconds to compose himself, he spoke. "Akira…"

Akira heard Midorima say her name and turned to him. "You know who I am?"

Shock was evident on the green-haired boy's face. He decided that he could talk with her after the match when he had time, and that now, he would ask something else. "What? Your friend decided to sit out because he couldn't handle us?"

One thing Akira hated were people talking trash about her friends. The redhead decided to knock his ego down a notch. "No. She just fell asleep because you guys weren't considered a challenge."

Midorima sneered. He turned to Seirin's bench, and sure enough, Sam was asleep. The boy turned away without saying another word and got ready for the game to start up again.

The game started and Midorima passed the ball to Takao. Takao took it down the court, and when Kagami guarded him, he bounced the ball between his legs, passing it to Midorima. Akira was quick and intercepted the pass, much to everyone's surprise. She brought it back to the other side of the court and shot the ball, scoring. Suddenly, Shutoku intercepted Seirin's attempts to pass and scored, too. Shutoku continued to score points and Akira was having trouble with Midorima's high arcs. She really wished that she could jump as well as Mel and Kagami. With her quick reflexes, she would have access to countless new tactics. She did still get a few steals from when she got to him before he shot and she still scored a bunch of points, so she wasn't to mad about it.

Shutoku was now winning, 72 to 76. Riko called a member change. Akira was pulled out and Kuroko took her place. She gave the bluenette a high-five. "Good luck!"

 **Ooh… Lots of stuff happening! How does Midorima know who Akira is? (Really obvious answer to everyone except our favorite redhead) And WHY ON EARTH DID NO ONE BOTHER TO ASK ABOUT THE DRAGONS EARLIER? I mean, seriously, it's been** _ **weeks**_ **. - Maelstrom_MVF**

 **Yes, Sam had briefly met Midorima in the past. It was kinda fun to write. Their feud will pop up a couple times later, btw. The next chapter will finish off the game, and you'll be in for a big surprise. Hope you'll read it! - Aloysius**


	13. Chapter 13

***Music note* Clean up, clean up, everybody, everywhere… *Music note***

 **Well… maybe just in the locker rooms :) - Maelstrom_MVF**

 **Welcome back! This chapter, we finish the game against Shutoku, then talk about some cleaning. I would never be able to clean up that mess. Oh! There's a hidden reference to a video game somewhere. If you find it, please comment! I'd like to see who pays attention to those little details, both in the story and in the game it's from! - Aloysius**

 **Hey guys, I KNOW you're waiting for another basketball joke, but I ran out :P From now on, I'll just post whatever seems funny.**

 **Knock knock.**

 **Who's there?**

 **Owls say.**

 **Owls say who?**

 **Yep :) - Maelstrom_MVF**

Ch 13

"Kuroko!" Hyuga shouted. "Can you do it?!"

"Yes," was all the bluenette said.

"That's no question, right?!" Kagami said as he pushed Kuroko from behind. "... More than that, you better pluck their souls out, okay?"

Kuroko turned to look at his light. "... Yes, of course." Akira laughed heartily from the bench, making the first year duo smile.

Hyuga passed the ball to Izuki, who took the ball down the court, then passed it back. Hyuga passed the ball to Kuroko and everyone was surprised when Kuroko caught it instead of redirecting it. He was going one-on-one against Midorima. Next thing the green-haired boy knew, Kuroko was gone. Kuroko used his Vanishing Drive!

Everyone shouted: "WHAAAAAAT-?!" simultaneously. Shutoku's number 5 tried to stop Kuroko, but the bluenette passed the ball to Kiyoshi, who dunked the ball. Everyone was amazed. Someone had bypassed Midorima, one of the "Generation of Miracles".

One of Shutoku's members tried to shoot, but missed. Izuki caught the rebound and passed the ball to Kuroko. Takao tried to block the phantom player, but Kuroko easily passed him. He passed the ball to Hyuga and the captain scored a three-pointer. Now the score was 75-76, Shutoku. There were only a few seconds left in the third quarter and Kuroko stole the ball, passing it once again to Hyuga, who scored another three, gaining them the lead. The teams headed back to the benches for a short break. Akira handed Kuroko a towel as he sat down.

"You did great out there!" shouted Akira with a smile. Sam was still sleeping next to Akira, so Akira tried to talk as loud as possible without looking weird. She failed at the not looking weird part.

Kuroko nodded once. "Thanks."

Hyuga had a quick pep-talk before the team went back on the court. Akira really wanted to play, but she knew that the teams had somewhat of a rivalry and didn't want to get in the way of it. Also, Riko wouldn't sub her in, so Akira was stuck watching from the bench. On the bright side, she got to watch Kuroko play. She wasn't sure why, but just seeing the bluenette put a smile on her face.

Seirin started off with their Run & Gun right off the bat. One of Shutoku's players tried to intercept the ball when it was passed to Hyuga, but Kuroko redirected the ball to Kagami. Two of Shutoku's players tried to block Kagami as the redhead jumped to dunk the ball, but the hyped up number 10 won.

"Don't be so full of yourselves," Midorima said as he shot the ball, scoring a three. Takao asked if Midorima was nearing his limit, and Midorima answered with a smile. "My limit… I passed long ago."

Everyone smirked and Seirin vowed that they wouldn't lose. Hyuga shot a three and the teams continued to score points. The crowd was roaring cheers for both teams and Kise threw his head back.

"Ah-! I really wanna play basketball right now!" the blonde shouted. Robert and Henry nodded their heads in agreement.

The clock was winding down and there were only 36 seconds left before the end of the match. The score was 103 to 102, Seirin. Ootsubo had just made a shot, putting Shutoku in the lead. When Izuki had the ball, but Shutoku tapped the ball out of his hands. Before they could get to the ball, Kuroko jumped up and caught the ball. He used his Vanishing Drive to get passed Takao, then passed the ball to Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi jumped to dunk the ball, but Midorima jumped to block him. The boy had to change his approach of getting the ball in, and barely made it. Midorima was charged for pushing and Kiyoshi was granted two free-throws. There were only two seconds left on the clock. Kiyoshi looked down at his legs. They were shaking. The Seirin team was trying to cheer Kiyoshi on and Kuroko did something Akira did not expect.

"Let's go have fu~n, okay?" said the bluenette, mimicking Kiyoshi. Akira smirked and gave Kuroko a thumbs up.

Kiyoshi breathed out. "Then allow me to do just that," he replied. Kiyoshi dribbled the ball a few times before shooting his first shot. Everyone from Shutoku was thinking, "Miss, miss, miss," while Seirin was thinking, "In, in, innnnnn!" The shot was good and Seirin was now tied with Shutoku, 104 to 104.

"... Here comes the shot of fate," said Kise to no one in particular. Henry's smile widened and he leaned his chin on his fist. Robert just headed to the lower level of the stands near the court.

Kiyoshi was once again handed the ball. He aimed and shot… but it was off. It hit the rim and bounced off. Ootsubo jumped and was getting the rebound, but Kagami came up from behind and grabbed it just as Ootsubo was about to catch it. Midorima jumped to try and steal the ball from Kagami and the time ran out. The teams were tied. Everyone on Seirin ran up to Kiyoshi with their hands high, wanting to give him a high-five, but they knocked him down instead. After resolving the problem with Kiyoshi, who thought that the team was mad at him, Midorima came up to Kagami.

"Kagami, don't tell me that you're satisfied with this."

Kagami turned to face Midorima. "No way!"

The teams decided that they would let the game sit… until winter, where they'd finish it. They bowed to each other, and when Seirin returned to the bench, they were tackled by a very excited Akira.

"You guys did great!" she said. When she let go of them, they all smiled big. Even Kuroko was smiling. Akira turned to said bluenette and gave him his own hug. "Your new drive worked great!"

Even with all of the commotion, Sam still didn't stir. Suddenly, someone sat down next to Sam and started running their hand through her hair. It was then Sam scrunched her body together and nuzzled against the hand unconsciously. Not long after, Seirin noticed their visitor. Robert smiled when everyone's eyes were on him.

"Hello again," he greeted.

Akira smiled while everyone else looked confused. "Sup, Robert."

Realization lit up the rest of the team's eyes. "You're one of the Crimson Dragons, Robert!"

Robert turned to Akira. "They finally asked?" He received a nod in response. Before he could say anything else, Midorima stormed over.

"He's _still_ asleep? What is he, a child?" he asked with a sneer.

Robert looked confused for a second. Sam wasn't a guy. He decided to play along. "He wouldn't have fallen asleep if you guys had put up more of a challenge."

"Ha! I already said that, Robert!" Akira said as she stuck her tongue out childishly.

"How do you keep walking into that one, Shin-chan?" Takao asked with a smirk.

Midorima turned to Takao with a glare. "You do know that they're insulting you, too, right?"

The complaining and fighting began to escalate and Sam began to stir. Everyone turned to her when they heard her let out a quiet groan. Before Midorima could make a smart-mouth comment, Sam turned her head to give him a murderous glare. Takao, and even Midorima, flinched back. Pleased with their reaction, she sat up, rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, and greeted Robert.

While Robert started talking with Sam, Midorima turned to Akira and asked the question that was on his mind. "When did you return to Japan, Akira?"

Akira turned to Midorima with a confused look. "I know I asked you this earlier, but do I know you?"

Shock and hurt ran across Midorima's face. Before he could say anything else, Kuroko came up beside Akira.

"Midorima Shintarou. He was one of the friends I told you about." He took a short pause before continuing. "You two used to date, but you broke up. Then you moved."

"Now, the question is how they got together in the first place," Sam mumbled to herself.

Kuroko wondered why Akira didn't remember him when she saw him play, but the truth was: Akira was paying more attention to Kuroko then the green-haired boy.

Akira and Midorima blushed at Kuroko's words and Akira turned to her ex. "I'm sorry that I forgot about something so important. My plane crashed on its way to America and I have a bit of amnesia when it comes to remembering my middle school years."

Midorima's eyes went wide. "Your plane crashed!?"

It took a while for Akira to calm Midorima down after telling him exactly what happened the day she returned to America. When he finally stopped freaking out, Akira grabbed a basketball and tossed it to Midorima.

"Midorima, do you mind showing me your basketball?" Akira asked.

The boy was confused at first, then gave a frown. "Haven't you already seen how I play?"

Akira shook her head. "It only works if I see you play from the side."

"But you were sitting on the bench for the start of the game," Takao cut in.

Akira gave a nervous laugh. "I wasn't paying enough attention."

Midorima scowled. "What do you mean-!"

"JUST SHOOT ALREADY!" Akira interrupted, scaring the two Shutoku players.

Midorima bounced the ball a few times and positioned for a shot. He launched the ball in a high arc and it swished into the basket.

Suddenly, memories flooded Akira's head, causing her to stumble into Kuroko, who caught her in time. She remembered hanging out with the green-haired boy, his confession, their break-up. Everything came rushing back. When they finally settled, Akira looked to Midorima with sad eyes.

"I remember…"

The moment was suddenly broken when a basketball came flying out of nowhere and hit Sam right in the face. It bounced off and collided with Takao's stomach, making them both hunch over, Sam clutching her nose and Takao his gut.

"Sam!" Robert shouted. He quickly took Sam in his arms and got closer to Sam's face to see her nose. She turned away, but he wouldn't stop.

Kise started breaking out into a fit of laughter and everyone turned to see him in the stands. "Kasamatsu-senpai would be so jealous if he was here!"

Everyone from Seirin started cracking up and Sam's face grew bright red. Everyone else just looked confused. After a while, everyone calmed down and Riko pushed Akira and Sam toward their locker room… where the guys were changing.

"Everyone! Are you finished? Let's go back!" Riko shouted as she barged in.

"Hey… at least knock!" Hyuga shouted.

"Shouldn't you be more like 'Kya-'!?" someone else shouted.

Riko crossed her arms. "Then I'll watch."

"Don't watch!" the boys shouted back.

Riko then began explaining that the next match would be against Kirisaki Daiichi and so on. Near the end, Kuroko mentioned that he brought #2 and that he couldn't find him. Everyone began freaking out and they all went to go look for him. Akira and Sam followed Kuroko.

The three headed outside where they heard voices. When they got closer, #2 came running to Kuroko and the bluenette picked him up. The Seirin players were surprised to see four familiar faces: Kise, Midorima, Robert, and Satsuki. Satsuki fainted after seeing how similar Kuroko and his dog were and Takao walked in, confused. Midorima then said that he was leaving and Kise left carrying Satsuki away with Robert following behind.

0000000000

The next day, Akira and Sam slept through their classes. Kagami complained about how he was the only one who ever got caught sleeping while Akira, Sam, and Kuroko never did. The girls just ignored him.

After school, Riko informed everyone that today was their break day and that they were going to clean out the club room. Sam, being the naturally lazy person she was, inwardly groaned. Riko said that if she saw any adult material, she would give them her special practice times five. Hyuga looked confident and opened the clubroom door. Saying that the room was a mess was an understatement. It looked like a hurricane came through, then a pack of hungry animals looking for food. Everyone outside gave a look of horror.

Akira smiled and pointed dramatically in the air. "Mwa ha ha! Get to it, lads! Grab anything shiny, and put the rest to the torch!"

Riko stepped inside and opened one of the lockers. When she saw the moldy items inside, she shut it as hard as she could and started screaming 'burn it, burn it!' Riko ended up throwing just about everything into the fire she made, and an hour later, they were finished.

Akira and Sam looked over to Koganei, whose locker had popped open, revealing a horde of boxers, then to Hyuga, who had a diorama of a battle in his locker.

Izuki tried to open Mitobe's locker, but the mute boy blocked his and shook his head side to side. They turned to look in Kuroko's locker, and Riko complained that there was nothing to comment on because it was perfectly ordinary.

Kagami tried to hide something behind his back as he talked about Kuroko's locker, but Akira, Sam, and Hyuga noticed it. Apparently, Kagami was terrible in his English class, much to their surprise.

Izuki began moving a large stack of books and Koganei started reading one. He got everyone interested in the manga, and soon, everyone except for the girls were looking for the rest of the series. They found all of them except for the last volume, and Kiyoshi suggested that it was in the locker of fungus. When they opened it up and found something that looked a lot like the book, Hyuga decided that the first-years were to play rock-paper-scissors to decide who was going to get it out. After several minutes of complaining and Hyuga's broken English, the first-years played rock-paper-scissors. Kagami, Kuroko, Akira, and Sam lost in the group battle, so they were left to do it again. Akira, Sam, and Kuroko pulled rock while Kagami pulled scissors. He sulked while Akira and Kuroko put both fists in the air in victory and Sam sat down to watch the show.

Kagami reluctantly put his hand into the locker and pulled out the book. Once out, they realized that the book was a mature magazine, and once Riko saw it, she announced that the training would be multiplied by five.

It was dark outside now, and the team was still in the locker room sorting everything out. Kagami had found some pictures of the team, then found one of someone he didn't recognize. He handed the photo to Kuroko.

"Kuroko… do you know who this is?" the redhead asked.

"...No," the bluenette replied.

Akira and Sam looked over his shoulder to look at the picture and Sam started to laugh. The first-years looked at her like she was crazy, but Sam just _couldn't_ stop laughing. In a matter of seconds, she was on her knees, clutching her stomach.

"That's me!" said someone behind them. Sam already knew who it was. It was their esteemed captain. "Everyone left already," he said.

When Kagami, Kuroko, and Akira let their captain's words process, they broke down into laughter as well. _Is this really what Hyuga-senpai looked like before?!_ Akira thought to herself. When Hyuga threatened to kick them, everyone but Sam stopped laughing. Eventually, she calmed down and everyone left together. While the five were walking, Kagami decided to ask Hyuga a question that had been weighing heavily on his mind.

"The rumor that this year's the end for Kiyoshi-senpai… What's that supposed to mean?" he asked with a serious face. Everyone was caught off guard by Kagami's inquiry, but Hyuga still answered.

"... I see, you've been listening… Then it can't be helped," he said as he kept walking. "It's about last year… Well, looking at his condition, you guys would have noticed eventually, so we were planning to let you guys know too." He looked off into the distance as he started explaining. Akira immediately thought of Kiyoshi's knee. She turned to Sam and found she was thinking of the same thing.

"Let's see… I guess I'll use this opportunity to tell you everything." Hyuga told the story of how the Seirin basketball team came to be. Hyuga had been against the idea back then; his spirit crushed from his past experience. Kiyoshi tried continuously to get him to join - he already had Izuki, Koganei, and Mitobe on his side. He tried to get Riko to be coach, too. He finally convinced Hyuga to join with a game of one-on-one, and together with everyone else, they convinced Riko to join by shouting their goals from the roof during morning announcements.

Together, as Seirin High's basketball team, they won games and had a great time… Then they had their game against Kirisaki Daiichi. They had one of the crownless generals, Hanamiya Makoto, who turned the game around in their favor and did the unspeakable. He took out Kiyoshi's knee.

Kiyoshi was put in the hospital and given the choice of either getting operated on, or going through rehab without operation.

He chose the latter.

0000000000

(Extra)

Akira and Sam were practicing with the rest of the team at the school's gym. Akira was on a team with Kuroko, Kiyoshi, and Hyuga while Sam was with Kagami, Mitobe, and Izuki. The speedy redhead passed the ball to Hyuga for a three-pointer, then moved to screen Kagami to prevent him from interfering. Kagami tried to get away, but Akira was fast it blocking him. Seeing her teammate having trouble, Sam ran behind to screen Akira so Kagami could pass. Kagami then broke through and stopped Hyuga's three.

Suddenly, the door burst open and in came running a very surprised and confused Robert. "Sam!" he shouted as he ran and crashed into said brunette. The two feel to the ground.

"Sam! Tell me it's not true!" Robert shouted hysterically. He didn't even give Sam a chance to get back up.

Akira walked over with a confused look on her face. "What are you talking about, Robert?"

Robert swiftly pulled out his phone and showed her the video that was already open. Everyone else in the room became curious and moved closer to see, too. The video showed Sam and Kasamatsu during the award portion of the battle of the bands. Sam was pushed into Kasamatsu, and with the position of the camera that took the video, it looked like the two kissed.

Everyone in the room, except for Sam and Robert, broke out into a fit of laughter. Sam flushed while Robert started tearing up.

"It's not funny?" he shouted.

"I beg to differ," stated Akira.

Robert turned to Sam and shook her violently. "Why didn't you tell me you've had your first kiss?! Was this boy really good enough?!"

"I think you've got it wrong," interrupted Kiyoshi. "They didn't kiss at the competition. The camera just makes it seem like they kissed."

Robert froze. "S-s-so they _didn't_ kiss?"

No one dared speak. If he knew about the time at the beach…

Akira cleared her throat. "Well…" Before she could say anything else, Mel burst through the door laughing.

"Sam! You didn't tell me you and Kasamatsu kissed again!" she said holding her phone. She was watching the same video Robert had open.

Robert clutched Sam to his chest and buried his head in the crook of her neck, making her squirm. The tips of his hairs were tickling her skin.

"Why didn't you tell your best friend that you kiss someone?!" Before anyone could do anything to calm the boy, he abruptly raised his head and gave off a thick murderous intent. "I don't approve. Where is this boy?"

Over at Kaijo, Kasamatsu felt a dangerous chill run down his spine. He looked around to see if anyone was staring at him, but didn't find the source. Henry, who was with Kasamatsu in the gym practicing with the rest of the team noticed and put on a smirk.

"Something bothering you, Kasamatsu?" he asked innocently. The captain shook his head to clear his thoughts, then scowled.

"It's Kasamatsu- _senpai_ to you!" he shouted back. He moved to kick Henry, but the white-haired boy dodged. "I just had this weird chill, that's all."

"Kasamatsu-senpai, are you sick?" Kise asked.

"Of course I'm not!" Kasamatsu replied angrily.

Henry heard his phone go off and looked to see who it was who texted him. He couldn't help but chuckle at the video Robert sent him and showed it to his senior. His smirk grew when Kasamatsu turned to face him.

"I'm pretty sure I know where that chill came from," Henry stated. "My friend sent me this video and commented: 'I'm going to murder this boy'." The video was the same one Robert showed Seirin and the one Mel saw. Kasamatsu's face turned bright red. "Robert is Sam's childhood friend, you know. If he saw this – which he did – he would never forgive you for taking Sam's first kiss. He's very protective of her, you know."

"They didn't actually kiss in that video," Kise pointed out. "It just looks like it. They did accidentally kiss that one time at the beach, though," he said to himself. Needless to say, everyone heard anyway, and the Kaijo team fell down in laughter. Then it hit him. "Wait. Did you just say that Sam is a girl?" Kise asked.

"Yup!" Henry confirmed.

The laughter from the team only got louder, and Kasamatsu fainted from embarrassment.

 _Well this is interesting,_ Henry thought as he chuckled himself.

 **We'll miss you at the end of the year, Kiyoshi! How'd y'all like Aki's enthusiasm for locker cleaning? XD And I feel really bad for Midorima, even if that pairing was partly my idea… - Maelstrom_MVF**

 **So, did anyone find the reference? If you need a hint, it's from Fire Emblem Awakening, one of my all time favorite games. Do comment if you spot it; it also hints to Aki's obsession (that may have been too big a hint). Anyway, the… thing with Aki and Mr. Carrot… NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN. I thought it was the weirdest pair ever. She is going to end up with someone else. Sorry Midorima fans, but we decided on someone else ages ago. Anyone like the little bit at the end about Robert's reaction to the battle of the bands? I really wanted to put it in the same chapter, but they weren't supposed to show up until the chapter after, so I put it here. HAHA! Anyway, thx for reading! - Aloysius**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey nerds! In this chapter, we'll meet someone new. Not saying anything else. At all. Really. See y'all later!**

 **Student: Would you ever punish me for something I didn't do?**

 **Teacher: Of course not!**

 **Student: Good, because I didn't do my homework.**

 **\- Maelstrom_MVF**

 **I feel so bad for the dragons, especially Sam in this chapter. I know I would** _ **ALWAYS**_ **get hit in the head with some kind of sports ball, but in Sam's case, I'd rather be in my position. This chapter, the dragons finally get to fight back, in their own way, against their previous American bully. He's** _ **kinda**_ **like the Haizaki of the Crimson Dragons, but different in some ways. Hope you enjoy! – Aloysius**

 **HAHAHAHAHA! Last year, when we were doing a basketball unit in gym class, Aloysius got hit in the head with a ball about 5 times in an hour! XD - Maelstrom_MVF**

 **(-_-) -Aloysius**

Ch 14

After Hyuga's story about Kiyoshi, the four first years were pumped for their game against Kirisaki Daiichi. Akira and Sam separated from the group on their way home and were left to think about their game tomorrow. Akira turned to Sam with a serious look.

"Tomorrow's the day Kiyoshi and the other second years get their revenge," she said. Sam nodded in response. "We're going to have to make sure they succeed." Sam nodded once more before arriving at her home, leaving Akira with her thoughts. She really hoped nothing would go wrong.

000000000000000000000

The next day, Akira, Mel, and Tyler arrived at the stadium the Seirin vs. Kirisaki Daiichi game was being held. Akira headed over to the rest of the team to warm up, while Mel headed over to the bleachers to find a good seat. Tyler walked over to Riko to help her out.

Just walking into the stadium was Robert and the rest of Touou. They had to put Aomine in a sack and drag him to the place to get him to come. Needless to say, he was ticked. Robert was quite amused. He and the bluenette moved to look over at the court and found that the Kirisaki Daiichi team was giving off very hostile vibes.

Down at the court, Akira and Sam were warming up by playing an extreme game of HORSE. They could feel the tension between the two teams. It was so thick; it could be cut with a knife. Akira turned to see a ball from the Kirisaki Daiichi side of the court roll over to Kiyoshi. She scowled at Hanamiya when he spoke with her teammate. He was claiming that Kiyoshi got hurt himself and that he had nothing to do with it. It made Akira want to show him who's boss. She smirked when Kuroko and Kagami stepped up to help. Those two were something else. It made her proud to have such amazing friends.

The other first years weren't just standing by, either. They happily volunteered to tape up Kiyoshi's knee. It was quite funny how his entire leg was wrapped, and Akira couldn't help but burst out laughing at their over enthusiasm. Riko ended up redoing it. Everyone gathered up in a group huddle.

"I know we can do this, guys," Akira said. "Let's win this thing!"

"Hey! That's my line!" Hyuga complained. Never the less, he was smiling.

The starters headed onto the court while the others sat down on the bench. From the bench, Akira, Sam, and Tyler saw a terrible sight. Standing on the Kirisaki Daiichi side was none other than Dante Jones, the exile of the Crimson Dragons. His spiky blonde hair could be seen from the top row of the bleachers and his towering height rivaled Kagami's. Up in the audience seats, Robert and Mel, who had met up with the ball thief, were staring at him in horror.

"What is he doing here?" Robert asked with pure anger. His teammates seemed to notice his change of attitude and Wakamatsu decided to ask about it.

"What are you talking about?" he asked loudly. Mel was the next to speak.

"Dante Jones, or here, he would be Jones Dante. He used to be on our basketball team in America, but he was expelled from the school for…" she paused before continuing. "He was expelled for repeatedly fighting with the team. By fighting, I mean physically."

Robert lifted his shirt up a bit and showed a small patch of mangled skin. "Never let him hit you when he's wearing jewelry." Sakurai and Momoi gasped while the others sneered. Mel just nodded.

"He gave each of us an unforgettably injury at some point."

"Just being near him lowers your IQ by 50," continued someone behind the group. They turned to find Henry with a rare frown on his face. It quickly turned to a smile. "I can't wait to watch him get destroyed by Akira and Sam."

Down at Seirin's bench, Akira and Tyler had their fists clenched. Sam would have done so, too, but her hands were wrapped tightly around Akira's wrists to stop her from running up to Dante and ripping his heart out.

The teams got into position on the court and the ref threw the ball up for the tip off. Kiyoshi jumped to get it and hit it to Izuki. He passed it to his right, where, to everyone' surprise Kuroko caught it. He was going for his "vanishing drive". He successfully passed his guard and shot the ball to Kiyoshi, who made a dunk. Everyone cheered.

"Go, Kuroko!" Akira shouted happily, her anger at Dante forgotten.

Now it was Kirisaki Daiichi's turn. They took the ball down the court and one of the players distracted Hyuga. He was then roughly screened. The attackers shot and missed. Kagami got ready for the rebound, but one of the Kirisaki Daiichi players got in front of him and got the ball. He swung the ball back and nearly hit Kagami in the face, but the redhead dodged just in time. They ended up scoring. Over at the bench, Akira and Sam were shaking with anger.

According to the data they had, every team that faced off against Kirisaki Daiichi had suffered an injury. It had only started after Hanamiya joined, and got worse since Dante came.

"This is unforgivable," Akira said lowly. Tyler and Sam nodded, not trusting themselves to speak. They watched as Kirisaki Daiichi continued to play harshly, and Hyuga was nearly elbowed in the face by one of their players until Kiyoshi jumped in and blocked the blow.

"We're on the court," he said. "If you want to fight us, do it fairly with basketball." Akira was furious with the other team's answer:

"We are."

Hanamiya took the ball and scored, then spoke with Kiyoshi. It just ticked Akira off even more. She wanted to go in beat the stuffing out of the other team, but Sam still had her restrained. She just had to settle with watching for now.

Kirisaki Daiichi continued to rough Seirin up. They stepped on their feet quite a bit, and when it didn't work on Kagami, they elbowed his stomach.

Akira started thrashing around in her seat, trying to get Sam to let her go, but the quiet girl didn't budge.

Kagami brought his arm back and looked like he was going to punch the other team, but Kuroko pulled his ankles, making him fall face first into the ground. Kagami was angry at the bluenette, but Kuroko managed to talk some sense into the redhead. Kagami apologized, and then got punched by Riko for acting rashly.

"I don't blame you, Kagami," Akira said, surprising many of her teammates. Kiyoshi was the next to surprise everyone.

"Kagami, you don't have to be inside for defense. You don't have to get the rebounds, either," he said. "Inside is fine with me alone."

Everyone started freaking out, and Kiyoshi put on a face that was pure seriousness. He said that if they took him out of the game, he would curse them for the rest of his life. When Akira and Sam heard Kiyoshi, they felt their anger skyrocket. _How dare he!_ they thought.

When the team went back on the court, Kiyoshi was the only one guarding the inside. He was doing amazing with the conditions he had. The other team was putting tones of pressure on the lone boy and their attacks were brutal. It was then Akira and Sam noticed something very important. Dante hadn't done anything the whole game. They turned to the blonde and found that he was staring right back.

Dante smirked sadistically. He made a 'come get me' gesture, then went back to staring at the two teams go at it. When Akira and Sam turned to see what he was looking at, they found Kiyoshi on the floor getting his face smashed in by one of the Kirisaki Daiichi member's elbow.

"Kiyoshi!" the Mizutani siblings shouted. Sam was too shocked to say anything. Hanamiya said that it was an accident. No one believed him. Kiyoshi slowly stood back up. His forehead was covered in blood. He saw that he would protect everyone.

It was finally the end of the second quarter and the teams had a ten minute break. Akira finally broke out of Sam's grip and ran up to Riko.

"Please put me in!" she shouted. When she saw Kiyoshi's bruises, she couldn't sit back any longer. The look on Kuroko's face said the same thing.

Sam stood next to Akira. "Please put us in," she said dead calmly.

Over with Mel and the male dragons, Robert had to hold Mel back. She was in a similar state as Akira. She wanted to get at the Kirisaki Daiichi team. While they were doing that, Henry was sitting next to Imayoshi.

"Why hasn't he done anything yet?" the white-haired boy asked himself. He, as well as Mel and Robert, had noticed that Dante had done absolutely nothing for the first two quarters. It looked as if he was waiting for something, or more precisely, someone. He was waiting for one of the dragons to come out and play.

The ten minute break ended quickly and the teams were called back to the court. Riko had agreed to let one of the girls on the court, but not both. They had to decide who was going it. Akira looked at Sam.

"I really want to go, but… I think you should go first. I'll come in later."

Sam nodded with a grateful smile. She then gave Akira a thumb up. "Don't worry. I fell asleep when you weren't looking." She stood from the bench and headed onto the court. Sam nodded to her teammates, then turned to face Dante. His evil smirk grew at the sight of her.

"I see you've finally come out of hiding," he said darkly. "Ya sure you can keep up? I know that over in Florida you couldn't last ten minutes before passing out." He looked around. "Where are the amnesic and the runt? They with you? Or that white-haired freak. What about the little puppy that follows you everywhere; he's _always_ with you."

Sam stared into his eyes with pure hatred. She could feel Akira's radiating from the bench, too. "I can keep up, can you? I heard that you lost your touch when you go caught fighting against Captain last year. We wouldn't want you giving up too soon now would we?" Dante sneered at her reply and Sam turned her back to talk to her teammates. They were shocked at her talk with Dante.

"I'm going to need you guys to listen carefully," she said. "That boy other there is Dante. He was expelled from the Crimson Dragons for fighting with the players last year. He's no joke. Don't let him touch you." The boys didn't know how to respond, so they just nodded.

"Good. The next think I need you guys to do is be ready. I see a lot of basketballs hitting my head in the future, and I need you guys to get them when they bounce back. Got it?" They nodded once again. Sam nodded, then broke from the group and closed her eyes. She had to make her time on the court count. She took a deep breath, and when she opened her eyes, you could see a green lightning-like light come from her pupils. Seirin wasn't quite sure what it was, but they could feel the heavy aura coming from her direction. In the stands, the basketball players watching could feel it, too. It felt like there was a dragon in the building.

Aomine's eyes went wide. _She's in the zone!_ he thought. Then he realized he never noticed Seirin had gotten a new member. He turned to Robert and found that the boy was staring seriously at Seirin's player.

Mel gave a small smile. "Please, Sam. You can do it. Beat him to a pulp."

Before the game resumed, Sam used her zone to, instead of focus in the game, help her _not_ focus on the blood that always seemed to come with facing Dante. She knew her playing wouldn't improve, but she knew it was the right choice. She absolutely hated the sight of blood.

The whistle was blown and Seirin started with the ball. It was passed to Kuroko, who did his vanishing drive despite Kirisaki Daiichi's attempts to stop him. He passed it to Sam, who was coming up behind him. Sam was met with none other than Dante. The boy towered over her and his eyes showed no mercy. He reached for the ball, but it vanished; it was already in Sam's other hand. She crossed it over a few times and shot right pass the blonde. Dante was quick to recover and spun to smack the ball out of Sam's hand, but the girl saw it coming and had already shot the ball. It went in without so much as brushing against the rim. All of the Crimson Dragons had absolutely sold fundamentals to back up their strengths, so the shot wasn't all that surprising to the dragons, but to the crowd, it was amazing.

Despite losing that one-on-one, Dante smirked. "I see you can shoot now. Glad you did something before I crush you."

Sam smirked back. It was full of all of the dragons' hate. "Wouldn't want to disappoint you. You were so desperate for one of us to come out; you spent half the game waiting. Did you really want to lose so badly?"

By now, everyone who had met Sam before, not including the Crimson Dragons, was looking at Sam like she had just grown another head. If it wasn't such a serious moment, Akira, Mel, and Henry would be laughing about how they thought Kasamatsu would react if he saw Sam at that moment. Dante's eyes went wide in fury.

Kirisaki Daiichi had possession of the ball. Dante took the ball and looked to his teammate, who was positioned behind Sam. "Hanamiya!" he shouted as he chucked the ball with all his power in the other sadistic player's direction. At the course it was going, it would slam into Sam's head. It did just that.

Sam was jerked sideways, making her fall hard. Thankfully, Kuroko had listened to her advice and took the ball as it bounce off and passed it Kagami. The redhead scored, then went back to Sam to see if she was okay. Sam carefully got up from her position on the ground and whipped off the bit of blood that started dripping from the side of her head. Everyone was surprised that the side with blood was not the side she fell on, but the side the ball collided with.

Akira flinched when the ball made contact with Sam's head. She clutched Tyler's arm and started shaking. Ever since her plane crash, she was terrified of collisions.

The brunette whipped the blood on her shorts. "I think I forgot to mention something," she said to the team. "His ability is his amazing strength." She turned to Kiyoshi. "Don't let him hit you."

The guys looked like they wanted to say something, but they were interrupted by the game. Sam continued to get hit with the ball, occasionally dodging the ball or redirecting it, but the power behind each shot seemed to grow. Still, Sam didn't let Dante win. She kept the ball from him with her sleight of hand and scored several points herself. She had also prevented Dante from scoring on several occasions. This made the blonde very angry.

"This is impossible. You couldn't have gotten this good since the day I left!" Dante shouted. He launched the ball with all his might combined with his immense anger, aiming it for Sam's face. The girl saw it coming and knew she wouldn't be fast enough to dodge it. She closed her eyes and the ball made contact with her face. She fell backwards onto the floor. Sam could barely hear the shouts coming from her teammates around her. Within seconds, she was out cold.

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Akira shot up from the bench screaming. When Sam went down and didn't come back up, her mind went blank. Dante had never been that strong back in Florida. Now, she wasn't sure what to do. She stayed there with tears threatening to spill from her eyes. She would admit, she was very much like Kiyoshi. She hated seeing her friends hurt.

There was a short intermission and Sam was carried over to the bench by Kagami. She was set down on a mat that was laid out, and Riko proceeded to tend to her wounds. Akira sat next to her.

Mel, Henry, and Robert sprinted down to the court and somehow got permission to be at the Seirin bench. Henry had a serious look, Mel look distressed, and Robert looked ten times worse. Tears pricked his eyes and his hands were shaking.

Robert carefully moved to sit next to Sam and took her hand. Mel and Henry took a seat next to Akira on the floor.

Akira turned to Riko with fire in her eyes. "Put me in," she said seriously. To everyone's surprise, Riko said no. Akira tried to argue, but the couch stopped her.

"It's too dangerous," she said. "You and Sam and girls, and look what happened to her! I can't put you out there knowing that same thing is going to happen to you, too!" Riko look conflicted, but held her ground.

Akira took a deep breath. "Fine, but if they're in trouble out there, I'm going in." Riko just nodded. The team was getting ready to get back on the court when Akira grabbed Kuroko's hand, getting his attention.

"Please be careful," she said sadly. Kuroko nodded back.

When Akira looked back on the court, one of Kirisaki Daiichi's players was subbed out. She wasn't sure what they were planning, but she knew it wasn't good. The game went on and Seirin wasn't playing the same. They continuously had the ball stolen and they were losing points fast. Akira overheard one of the players talking about a spider's web and couldn't help but wonder what he meant. She turned to Henry to ask him, but the white-haired boy already saw it coming.

"Seirin is stuck in Hanamiya's trap. While they go for the most strategic moves, Hanamiya easily predicts the team's actions and interferes." Henry tapped his chin. "They make it quite easy for him you know. That guy has an IQ of 160."

The people on the bench couldn't believe their ears. An IQ of 160 was absolutely amazing! Akira thought about what Henry said. If he was right, then the more they struggled, the worse they'd be. If only they had Sam. Her IQ was just as high.

By the end of the third quarter, Seirin was at 47 while Kirisaki Daiichi had a score of 58. Akira stood up and walked over to the rest of the guys. She sat next to Kuroko. They were all mad about the last quarter. Suddenly, both Akira and Kuroko had an idea.

"Maybe we can break free if I stop the team play," said Kuroko. "You three play as you have been and I'll play independently." Akira agreed. Everyone looked at the two of them like they were crazy. Henry just nodded.

"I think that's best," he said simply.

Akira faced Riko. "I'd also like to play."

Riko showed her disapproval. "Akira…"

The first year girl stood up. "Riko, please! I need to go out there and help!"

"I already told you: it's too dangerous!"

"But Riko-!"

"Ahhhhh~ you two, please quite arguing. Riko, just let her go! You're so loud and you're making my headache worse than it already is!"

Everyone turned wide-eyed to the girl lying on the mat. Sam still had her eyes closed, but her hand was on her face rubbing her temples. Everyone, especially Robert, looked relieved and visibly relaxed. The boy rubbed circles on the back of Sam's other hand with his thumb and wiped his eyes.

Riko turned to Akira with a conflicting expression on her face. After a second to contemplate, she nodded. "Okay, you can go, but if you end up getting hurt, I'm pulling you back out."

Akira smiled and gave Riko a quick hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

With the team back on the court, Akira could see the smirk on the other team's faces. I just made her smirk, too. Her smirk became devilish when she made eye contact with Dante.

"I'm going to make you pay for hurting my friend," she said darkly. Dante just smirked.

"You talk big for an amnesic. I'll make sure you drown in defeat."

The game started with Izuki taking the ball out. He passed it toward Hyuga and Hanamiya was ready to intercept. He had already anticipated it. What he didn't anticipate was Kuroko diving in and changing the direction of the pass. The ball flew into an unsuspecting Kagami's hands and he made a two-pointer. Akira gave Kuroko a high-five. His plan had worked. Now it was her turn.

Dante had possession of the ball and Akira was guarding him. The boy tried to fake a pass, but Akira saw right through it. She pretended to follow with the pass, but when he moved to drive past, she shifted back and quickly swiped the ball. She ran down the court full speed and shot the ball. Dante ran up behind to swat it out of the air, but it was already in. The redhead turned to her former bully and swiped her thumb across her neck before getting ready on her side of the court. Needless to say, Dante was ticked.

Akira and Dante kept going at it, but to the blonde's dismay, Akira was just too fast for him. He was quickly losing his energy trying to stop her. Lucky for him, while Seirin was closing the gap, they were still too far behind. They were also shutting down Kiyoshi.

Riko called for a timeout and everyone returned to their bench. To Kiyoshi's surprise, Riko was pulling him out.

"Wait a sec! We're almost there! And if you pull me out now…"

"No," she said sternly. There were tears threatening to spill. "If the same thing as last year is going to happen… then I'd rather you curse me."

Sam nodded. "I agree."

""I don't have a big brother, but… when you said you'll protect us, I thought you were like a big brother," Kuroko said. "And… It made me happy. So I want you to keep protecting us in the future, and I don't want you to overexert yourself anymore in this match." There was a short pause before Hyuga started shouting.

"ARGHHHH! So annoying!"

"You tell 'em, captain," Sam said lazily while punching the sky. Only Robert, Mel, Henry, and Mitobe heard her.

"We're telling you to leave the rest to us!" Hyuga continued. "Just withdraw obediently! Do you think we'll break our promise!?" Kiyoshi slowly smiled and conceded. "Now, be a good boy and wait here. We'll come back with a ticket to the winter cup."

While the team was back on the court, Kiyoshi apologized to Riko about what he said before. Mel scoffed and bonked Kiyoshi on the head.

"You'd better be sorry! What kinda guy says that to a lady!?" Mel turned to Robert. "I know that if anyone said that to Sam, Robert would go ballistic on them." Robert nodded in agreement.

Back on the court, Akira smirked when Hyuga got into shooting position. His form was perfect and the shot went in without a problem. Kuroko continued stealing the ball and Seirin continued scoring. Akira even got a few more chances to humiliate Dante.

Hanamiya was furious. Seirin was now ahead by one point and Kuroko was guarding him. He made a move to elbow the bluenette in the face, but Kuroko dodged just in time. Hanamiya then made a quick drive past the shadow and made a floater shot. The uncrowned king spoke with venom about friendship and it made Akira and Kuroko furious. Kuroko punched the ball past Hanamiya who stood there with wide eyes, and to everyone's surprise, Akira was the one who caught it and dunked it. Everyone cheered but Seirin kept serious to finish the match. In the end, they won, 76 to 70.

The Seirin bench burst into cheers and everyone jumped up with joy. The only ones who didn't move from their spots were Sam and the other dragons not on the team.

Robert and Mel helped Sam sit up from her spot on the floor when Akira hopped over. The girls hugged and smiled at their victory. They had finally beaten their longtime foe. When they let go, they noticed Hanamiya talking with Kiyoshi. His head was down and he seemed to be apologizing. The girls were stunned. Then Hanamiya showed his real colors and announced that he would crush the iron heart the next time they face each other. The Dragons' anger flared, but they knew Kiyoshi could handle it and left it to him.

Suddenly, the Dragons felt someone coming toward them and found a ticked off Dante. His fists were clenched at his sides and a fire of hatred burned in his eyes. He stopped a foot away from the group.

"I won't accept this. You twerps couldn't have gotten so strong in the few months after I left!"

Akira stood up and answered him with a serious face. "We _did,_ in fact, get stronger once you left. The day after, without all of your bullying to set up back, we began to quickly improve. You really are a potential killer, aren't you?"

Dante grew angrier by the second, and before anyone could say anything else, Dante pulled his arm back to throw a punch at Akira. The girl was ready to dodge, but the fist stopped in mid swing. Dante turned to find a very scary looking Tyler gripping his wrist.

"Don't you dare lay a finger on them ever again," he said in a low and murderous tone. Everyone around flinched at shook from fear. Eventually, Tyler let go of the boy's arm, leaving behind a red hand mark. Dante then left quietly without so much as turning to look back.

Tyler visibly relaxed once Dante left. He turned to the Dragons and smiled. "I've wanted to do that for a long time."

Robert turned to Akira. "Remind me never to get on your brother's bad side." The others nodded in agreement.

Riko walked up to the group and looked to Sam. "We have to get your injury looked at now. Can you stand?"

Sam moved to stand, but a wave of dizziness hit her and she fell into Akira's arms. Robert moved to pick her up and the group followed Riko to the infirmary. They were met with an old man in a doctor's coat. Sam was set down in a seat and the doctor proceeded to examine her head. After about 20 minute, Sam was released and was told to get lots of rest; she would be fine by tomorrow. Sam then promptly fell asleep on Robert's back while the others followed Riko back to the rest of the team. They ended up separating from her on the way and just decided to wait for them outside. There, they found Kuroko and Kagami.

Mel nudged Akira's shoulder and smirked. "This year's winter cup is going to be an all out war against the 'Generation of Miracles'. Have anything to say about that?"

Akira smirked. "Yeah. It'll be an all out war alright, and with five Dragons mixed in, I'm sure it'll be _fun_!"

Just then, the rest of Seirin made it outside and Hyuga kicked Kagami for massing around. They all headed home, thinking of one thing: defeating the 'Generation of Miracles' and becoming number one in Japan. Henry and Robert, who were forgotten about and were still following Seirin, sighed.

"They _do_ know that we're still here, right?" Robert asked his white-haired friend.

Henry smiled. "I don't think so." He started chuckling. "It's funny to know they're saying they're going to win with members of the opposing teams present." Robert only nodded in agreement.

 **To anyone who happens to have the name Dante or the full name Dante Jones, we apologize. When we were picking his name, we picked randomly in a random list of names. He is not based off of anyone in real life. Anyway, in this story, I decided that the OCs can use the zone to focus on things other than playing basketball to their full extent. I thought I'd be interesting. I really hope you guys liked this chapter; it was kinda on and off with the ideas. The next chapter will be fun! It won't follow the story line, but be more like a filler or special chapter. Hope you enjoy! – Aloysius**

 **For any of you beautiful and dedicated followers who just can't live without a hint for the next chapter, here's the only one you get:** _ **MEOW!**_ \- **Maelstrom_MVF**


	15. Chapter 15

**Sorry about the super late update! I've been so busy recently, and there's just so much going on, like robotics competitions, that I haven't had time to update at all! The next chapters may also be late after this, so please bare with us! - Aloysius**

 **The only thing I'm gonna write up here today is the joke. No spoilers whatsoever for this chapter! (Except, of course, the one from the last update.)**

 **Q: What's white and can't climb trees?**

 **A: A refrigerator.**

 **\- Maelstrom_MVF**

Ch 15: Special (Cats)

When Akira woke up that morning, she never would have thought she would have had to run around town all day trying to fix a colossal problem her brother created. It all started when Akira decided to get out of bed.

Akira rolled out of bed and walked to the kitchen to grab a drink. She looked at her cat-themed clock, which read: 11:12 am. She wondered why she had woken up so late, then remembered that Sam had stayed over at her house for the weekend and the three girls stayed up all night to talk about just about anything. She headed back to her room and looked to Sam's sleeping bag and Mel's bed, but she didn't see her friends. This confused her. _Did they leave?_ It was then she noticed two moving lumps under her friends' blankets.

She lifted them up slowly, not sure what she would find, and found two sleeping cats. They started to stir and awoke from their sleep. One was a tortoiseshell kitten that had emerald eyes and dark brown fur with light brown patches. The other cat was a blonde tabby kitten with purple eyes. It was then Akira realized how their hair color and eye color were the same as Sam and Mel's.

The kittens yawned and stretched, then sat down and faced Akira. They meowed, then gave a confused look. They looked at each other, then started freaking out. Sam and Mel started meowing incoherent things while running around in circles until they finally settled down and jumped into Akira's lap staring at her with pleading eyes.

Akira, not knowing what to do, picked both of the cats up on her arms and ran to her brother's room. "Tyler! We have a problem!"

Tyler groggily opened the door. When he noticed the two cats in Akira's arms, his eyes went wide. "Where did you get _those_?!" he screamed.

"They're Mel and Sam! I found them like this when I went to wake them up! I don't know how this could have happened. What do we do?!"

Tyler nervously scratched the back of his neck and diverted his eyes to avoid eye contact. "I maaaaay have an idea of how they ended up like this."

Akira froze. "What did you do?"

"I may have been practicing a few magic tricks last night," admitted Tyler. "I tried to turn a cup into a cat, but failed, so I tried again… 11 more times…"

"Does that mean-" Akira was interrupted by the sound of scratching at the door.

She put Sam and Mel down on the floor and the four walked to see who it was. When Akira opened the door, they found 10 other cats: one with light blue fur and eyes, one with bright red fur and eyes, one with purple fur and eyes, one with pure black fur and a random tuft covering one of his onyx eyes, one with blonde fur and yellow eyes, one with spiky black fur and grey eyes, one with bright green fur and eyes, one with black fur and grey-blue eyes, one with pure white fur and indigo eyes, and one with onyx eyes and dark brown fur with a tuft of blonde fur on its forehead. After a minute of silence, Akira, Tyler, Mel, and Sam realized that they were Kuroko, Kagami, Murasakibara, Himuro, Kise, Kasamatsu, Midorima, Takao, Henry, and Robert, respectively.

Sam fainted from shock and Robert and Kasamatsu ran over to her side. They looked at each other and glared.

"Oh my gosh…" Akira turned to Tyler. "What did you do?!"

"I already told you!" Tyler responded loudly.

Akira sighed. "Fine, but you better fix this." She turned to the cats. "Come on guys, follow me."

Robert swiftly picked up Sam and put her on his back – it was easy since she was only a kitten and he was fully grown. He ran to follow Akira, and Kasamatsu, who was slower to react, ran after them. Everyone else just walked as they followed Akira.

Akira led them to her room and closed the door. She turned to look at everyone and found Mel had jumped on top of Himuro, Kagami was meowing non-stop - his now extremely annoying way of complaining - while Kuroko just sat by Akira's feet. Midorima was "talking" to Takao and Henry was with Kise, bothering Kasamatsu, who was jealous of Robert. Robert had put Sam down, curled around her protectively and nuzzled her head. She wondered where Murasakibara was and found him eating out of a bag of chips on her desk.

Akira sighed again, slid down to the floor, and lifted Kuroko up so that they were looking eye-to-eye. "What should I do, Kuroko?"

Kuroko let out a small "meow" and Akira smiled. She carried him to her bed and sat down with him on her lap. She looked back at everyone. Now, Kasamatsu was fighting with Robert, tumbling around. With all of the noise, Sam started to stir. She regained consciousness and saw everyone as cats. She rubbed her eyes and they didn't change back, so she assumed she wasn't dreaming. Robert and Kasamatsu noticed Sam move and hurried back to her. They nuzzled her, making her feel uncomfortable, and prevented her from escaping their presence. Mel was pawing the top of Himuro's head playfully and ran around him in circles. Tatsuya didn't seem to mind and started pawing her head as well. Kagami watched with jealousy and got closer to them. Once he was close enough, Mel started playing with him, too - much to Himuro's displeasure.

(In the cats' perspective)

Sam was struggling to get out of Robert and Kasamatsu's grasps, but she was finding it unnaturally difficult. She wasn't surprised – they were twice her size – but she was increasingly annoyed. When she stopped struggling, she took time to really look at the others. The only ones who were kittens were Mel and her, the others being grown cats. The more she thought about it, the more nervous she got. Unlike Mel, she never thought about people's height very often and wasn't used to feeling so much smaller than the others. It scared her.

Sam started shaking and hit her face behind her paws. She wasn't sure what was making her feel this way and blamed it on the fact she was now a tiny little cat.

When Robert and Kasamatsu noticed Sam's odd behavior, they tried to get her to calm down by nuzzling her even more, but it was just making her even more aware of their size.

Soon enough, she couldn't take it anymore and started meowing loudly like an alarm. "Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop!"

The boys recoiled at the sudden noise and started freaking out. Akira gave a look of alarm and the other cats flinched. Mel came running in and tackled the two cats out of the way. Akira was surprised at the little kitten's abnormal strength.

"Sam! It's okay! Calm down." Mel nudged Sam, making the other kitten stop screaming and look up.

"How are you so calm?" Sam asked shakily. "The others are twice our size. They're huge!"

Mel giggled. "I've been hanging out with the tallest team in the winter cup. This isn't really _that_ different." When Sam didn't budge, Mel continued. "Besides, they're still your friends. You know they'd never hurt you…" Mel turned to the rest of the group. "That is, unless they want me beating them up."

Sam stifled a laugh and Robert took that as the 'okay' to return. He stopped in front of Sam and, instead of towering over her like before, lied down so they were the same height.

"I'm sorry," he said sadly. Sam just climbed onto his face and started nibbling his ear in response.

Mel instantly brightened up. "That looks like fun!" She ran over to Himuro and Kagami and jumped onto Tatsuya's face, sending him falling backwards. She then proceeded to jump onto Kagami's back and fight with his ears. Henry, who was still with Kise, moved over to Kasamatsu and pawed his head.

"I wonder why being a cat makes you want to paw everyone's face," he said as he continued the act. Kasamatsu tried to swat Henry's paw away, but failed. Henry chuckled. "Looks like lover boy's mad he can't play with a certain kitty cat." This prompted the black cat to chase Henry around the room in anger.

(Back to human perspective)

A few minutes later, Tyler burst into the room. "I found a way to change them back!" He shouted. All of the cats and Akira turned to face him.

"Is it safe?" asked Akira.

Tyler pulled out a book and opened it up to the page he bookmarked. "It should be, but I haven't tried it yet."

Akira facepalmed and faced her friends. "Who wants to go first?"

Everyone took a step back except for Henry, who literally hopped in front of Tyler excitedly. Tyler looked to his book, then back to Henry and spoke a few words. Nothing happened for a moment, but soon after, there was a loud "pop" and Henry was human again. The only thing that wasn't expected was that he had a pair of cat ears on his head, a tail, and no clothes. Akira, Mel, and Sam quickly looked away, blushing, while everyone started going crazy. Tyler grabbed a blanket and threw it to Henry. Henry wrapped himself up and everyone calmed back down. The girls still refused to turn back around.

"You guys are going to have to wear my clothes until we get you some of your own," said Tyler. All of the male cats nodded. "Now, who's next?"

Tyler changed everyone back, one by one, in a different room, and once everyone was clothed, they returned to Akira's room. Sam was relieved her normal personality was back and she no longer felt the urge to touch someone's face.

In Akira's room, Akira sat next to Kuroko, Mel sat happily next to Himuro and Kagami, and Sam was stuck between Robert and Kasamatsu. Everyone else just sat randomly around on the floor. They were discussing what to do about the cat-ear and tail problem.

"Tyler," started Akira. "You didn't change them back right."

Tyler sighed. "I _see_ that." He flipped through the pages of his book. "You're going to have to give me some time to find the right spell."

Akira groaned and turned to her cat-eared friends. "You guys are going to have to stay here until… Where's Murasakibara?" Everyone looked around, surprised to find that the giant had somehow disappeared without anyone noticing.

Akira started freaking out. "Great, we have to find him! What if someone sees him with cat ears and a tail?!" She jumped out of her seat and everyone followed. They couldn't find him anywhere in the house. Akira couldn't look for him all alone, so she grabbed a bunch of hats out of her closet and handed one to each person.

"Here," she said. "We are going to split into pairs. Mel with Himuro, Kagami with Tyler, Kasamatsu with Kise, Robert with Sam, Kuroko with me, Takao with… Where's Takao?!" Everyone looked around and Takao was nowhere to be seen.

Akira sighed in anger. "Henry, you're with Midorima. Our job is to look for both Murasakibara _and_ Takao. Call the other groups if you find them."

Kagami, Kasamatsu, and Midorima visually showed their displeasure, but didn't want to anger Akira any further. With that, everyone put on their hats and headed out.

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Sam shifted uncomfortably as she and Robert were searched for Murasakibara and Takao. Her ears were squished down with the fedora Akira had given her and her tail was tucked in so no one would see. Robert seemed to feel the same. His baseball cap was way too tight. The two had only met Murasakibara and Takao a few times before and weren't sure where to look for them, so they headed to shopping center. There were people everywhere and Sam wasn't sure where to look first. They walked passed various stores and couldn't find any place either of the two boys would go. As they passed a toy store, a little boy bumped into Sam, making her stumble and drop her hat. Unfortunately for her, there was a maid cafe right next door that was having a cosplay day. The girls were wearing cat ears. One of the people there saw Sam and rushed over to her.

"Oh! You're late! Hurry and get changed; there are a lot of customers today!" she said as she pulled Sam into the cafe.

Sam reached out for Robert to save her, but he was still frozen on the spot. Then he started laughing. Sam promised herself that she would get Robert back later. On her way to the employee's changing room, she caught a brief glimpse of a familiar blonde.

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Mel was skipping along the street with Himuro as they went searching for the idiot and the giant idiot. They knew Murasakibara all too well and knew that he would be anywhere where he could get his hands on food. They decided to check the shopping center food court because it was the closest place Murasakibara could find snacks.

Mel had to say, she didn't mind cat ears at all… if she didn't have to squish them under a hat. Her cowgirl hat pushed her ears against her head, and tucking her tail into her pants didn't feel comfortable at all. She looked over to Himuro next to her and noticed him fidgeting in discomfort. Mel had to admit, Tatsuya looked cute in cat ears.

As she was looking at Himuro, Mel didn't notice when a little boy walked right in front of her. He bumped into Mel, making her hat fall off right in front of a maid cafe that was having a cosplay day with cat ears. One of the ladies there rushed outside and grabbed Mel's arm.

"You're late, too! Hurry and get changed! We have a lot of customers today!" She dragged Mel into the employee's changing room and saw Sam being pulled in, too. They were thrown together into one room and handed matching black and white maid outfits. Mel and Sam, not knowing what to do and not wanting to anger the forceful ladies, they quickly changed into their outfits. To go with the dresses, Sam had a green choker with a bell to match her eyes and Mel had a purple one to match hers. Their skirts couldn't hide their tails, so they were left exposed. They stepped out of the changing room and the manager walked up to them.

"Take these menus and tend to table 5. Since you two are new, you'll have to work together." She started to walk off, but turned back around. "Don't forget to say, 'welcome back, master,' or 'madam' if the customer is a lady."

Sam and Mel nodded, and when the manager walked away, turned to face each other. "What do we do?!" asked Mel.

Sam shook her head. "I don't know!" she whispered quietly.

The girls decided that they would rather _not_ get yelled at by the demanding woman working at the cafe and walked over to table 5 to take the customers' orders. They found Himuro and Robert sitting there, staring at them with slight blushes on their faces.

"What are you two doing here?!" asked Mel with flushed cheeks. Sam's face was the same shade of pink.

Robert cleared his throat. "Well… we thought that it would be rude to just leave the two of you here alone, so we decided to stay?" Himuro nodded in agreement. After a minute of arguing, Mel asked for Himuro and Robert's orders.

"I'll take a coffee," said Himuro.

Robert put down the menu. "Can I get a crepe?"

The girls nodded and headed to the kitchen. After grabbing the boys' orders, they headed back to the table. Mel tripped a little on the heels she was wearing and almost dropped Himuro's coffee, but Himuro jumped out of his seat and helped her balance. In the process, his hat fell off. Robert stood up, too.

"Mel, are you okay?" While Robert was standing, Sam snuck up behind him and took his hat, revealing his ears, too.

"Manager!" Sam called. "We have two more volunteers to help out!"

The manager came over and found Himuro and Robert with their cat ears exposed. "You two, come this way to get your costumes."

The girls laughed as the boys were dragged into the changing rooms. As they stepped back out, changed, Sam and Mel couldn't help but blush. They were wearing white shirts with black ties and slacks. Robert had a gold vest on top of his white shirt while Himuro's vest was dark purple. They looked amazing. Robert and Himuro tried to cover their own flushed faces.

"How did we even get into this mess? I thought this was supposed to be a _maid_ café," Robert muttered.

Just then, two boys entered the cafe: one was tall with purple hair while the other was much shorter with black hair. They were Sam, Mel, Himuro, and Robert's targets. When Takao and Murasakibara saw the four in costume, Murasakibara took a seat at table 5 while Takao broke out into a fit of laughter.

"This is priceless!" he breathed in between laughs. Sam walked up behind Takao and smacked his head with the menus she was carrying, shutting the boy up immediately.

"Do you two know how much trouble we went through trying to find you guys?" asked Mel.

"But Mizu-chin ran out of snacks~" complained Murasakibara.

Mel turned to Takao. "Do you have a better excuse?"

Takao was about to say something, but closed his mouth when he noticed Sam raise the menus again. "No…"

The cosplayers sighed. Robert pulled out his phone and dialed Akira's number.

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Akira was walking with Kuroko, trying to find Takao and Murasakibara. She was so worried about people finding out about their cat ears and tails. She felt a tugging feeling next to her and realized it was Kuroko. She stopped walking and turned to him. "Yeah?"

"Can I take off this hat for a moment?" he asked. "It's uncomfortable."

Akira looked around and found that they were alone. "Sure."

Kuroko took off his hat and his cat ears stuck up like a spring. It was so cute that Akira couldn't help but blush. Kuroko reached over and took Akira's hat off. "Why are you wearing a hat, too if you don't have cat-ears?"

Akira smiled. "I just left like it." She sat down on a bench and Kuroko sat down next to her. "When do you think I'll remember everyone else?"

Kuroko looked at Akira. After a moment of silence, he answered, "I don't know."

Akira sighed, already knowing his answer. She was about to lay her head on Kuroko's shoulder when she felt a vibration in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw that it was Robert calling. She answered the phone. "Hello, Robert? Did you guys find them?"

" _Yeah_ ," the boy answered. " _We ran into Mel and Himuro while searching and found Takao and Murasakibara at a maid cafe_."

Akira went quiet. "You found them _where_?"

She heard Robert sigh. _"At a maid cafe. Sam, Mel, Himuro, and I got dragged in by very forceful ladies when they saw our cat-ears and we were forced to work for the day. Takao and Murasakibara walked in and we have them here."_

Akira broke out into a fit of laughter. "Which cafe are you guys at?"

" _The one at the shopping center."_

"Okay. We'll be there in a minute," she said as she hung up the phone. She stood up and turned to Kuroko. "Come on, Robert, Sam, Mel, and Himuro found Takao and Murasakibara. We should go help them."

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Akira had gathered up the other pairs and they were all in front of the maid cafe. When they stepped in, they were greeted with the site of Takao getting a picture with Sam, Mel, Robert, and Himuro. He had it so that Robert was behind Sam, hugging her waist, while Himuro was behind Mel, doing the same thing. The manager snapped the picture and gave it to Takao, who started grinning like a madman.

Midorima took a step forward with a scowl on his face. "Ta-ka-o!"

Takao flinched, then faced the group with a huge smile. "Hey guys! Check out the picture I got!"

Mel and Sam sulked while Robert and Himuro went to look at the picture with everyone else.

"How did you get this?" asked Tyler.

Takao smirked. "I beat Robert in a game of cards and got a prize: a picture with the maids and butlers of my choice."

Kagami and Kasamatsu both had an idea and took a step forward. "I want to try," they said simultaneously.

The manager pointed to a table. "Take a seat and pick a challenger."

Kasamatsu and Kagami sat down at the table and looked at Sam, Mel, Robert, and Himuro. They really didn't want to go up against Himuro. They looked to Mel. She was grinning widely, which didn't seem like a good sign. They turned to Robert and found Sam inching slowly behind the taller boy. Kagami and Kasamatsu inwardly smirked. "I choose Sam," they said.

Sam smirked as she stopped pretending to hide. "I win." She said as she sat down in front of the challengers and pulled out a pack of cards. "Pick a game, any game."

The boys gulped - even the ones who weren't playing. Kagami decided on slapjack, so Sam passed out the cards. As they were playing, Kagami flipped a jack and was about to slap it. Before he got to it, Sam's hand zipped passed Kagami's and slammed onto the table hard, scaring everyone. She won in a matter of minutes and Kagami kissed his wish of getting a picture with Mel goodbye. Kasamatsu was next. He chose to play poker. Sam shuffled the cards so fast that no one noticed that she was cheating. She passed out the cards and put on her poker-face. She won all five of the five rounds they played and Kasamatsu sulked. He was denied a picture with Sam by Sam herself. Sam smiled triumphantly.

Just then, Kuroko, Robert, and Himuro took Akira, Sam, and Mel's hands. They stared into their love's eyes and said, "I lo-"

Akira, Sam, and Mel woke up with a start. They looked around and found that they were in Akira's room. They looked at the clock on the wall and it read: 3:27 am. They looked to each other. It was all a dream.

Akira gave a look of shock. "Guys, I just had the weirdest dream."

"Me too," said Mel, also in shock.

"Cats…" was all Sam could say and everyone's eyes widened.

"We all had the same dream," they said simultaneously. After a few minutes of silence, they each crawled deeper into their blankets and fell back asleep.

 **Did you guys figure out ahead of time that it was all a dream? I mean, it would have been really dumb to make it actually occur in the story, sooo… - Maelstrom_MVF**


	16. Chapter 16

**Mwa ha ha! Chapter 16 has finally arrived! Sorry for the inconsistent updates, but fret not, I'm not ready to give up this story any time soon. Anyway, Mel gets some more 'screen time' in this chapter, yay! We also get to look into some characters' love lives! Hope you enjoy! - Aloysius**

 **Mel and her friends are so cute! (Hint hint, wink wink) That's all you get to know for now. See ya! - Maelstrom_MVF**

 **Q: What's red and bad for your teeth?**

 **A: A brick.**

 **\- Maelstrom_MVF**

Ch 16

Akira and Sam sat peacefully in the hot spring, thinking about random things, when they realized why they had never been to a hot spring before: it was ridiculously boring. They just sat there, doing nothing. The only reason they were still there was because they paid for the experience and didn't want their money to go to waste. Initially, they were waiting for Riko, but after ten minutes, they decided they had had enough. They had to do something. Akira sighed and turned to Sam.

"Well, now's as good a time as any…" When Sam gave a look of confusion, Akira elaborated. "I've been meaning to ask you about the … boy problems you've seemed to get into since coming to Japan." Sam flushed bright red and hid the bottom half of her face in the water. Akira just sighed again.

"So, who do you like? You seem to run into that Kasamatsu from time to time, and every time you end up in some sort of situation with the guy." Sam flushed even redder. "Then there's Robert. He's always at your side when you need him, you know, and you're childhood friends. He also seems to want to murder Kasamatsu…"

Sam thought back to when she was little. There wasn't a time when she and Robert weren't together. Their parents were great friends before they were even born and when they were a year old, their parents started putting them together for naps. They had always been together ever since.

The brunette played with her fingers when she remembered her sixth grade year. She had finally realized that she had fallen for Robert and started getting nervous around him. When he noticed her strange behavior, he hung around less and less. Sam decided to hide her nervousness around him, and everything went back to normal. It still didn't stop her heart from racing in his presence.

Sam sighed, and then made a few gestures. 'I'm not even sure if he likes me back."

Akira perked up. "So you do like someone! Who? Kasamatsu or Robert?"

"Yes," was all Sam said, making Akira pout. While the redhead was busy complaining, Sam decided to have _her_ fun.

"Who do _you_ like?" the brunette asked quietly.

Akira stiffened at the sudden question. She turned to find Sam with a completely serious yet curious expression. Knowing she wasn't going to get out of it, Akira answered honestly.

"I'm not sure."

Sam frowned. 'I'm pretty sure you don't have your eyes on Midorima, but I _do_ know that you're always lookin' at Kuroko.' This earned a blush from the redhead. She had noticed her fascination with the bluenette, but was never sure whether that meant she liked him. She would admit that his hair looked really soft and that his eyes were just so pretty…

"His style of basketball _is_ pretty amazing…" Akira said. After a few minutes of thought, she turned to once again face the brunette. "I wonder who Mel likes. I bet you it's-"

Over with Mel back home, a certain blonde, who was hanging out with a certain shooting guard, let out a big sneeze. Mel covered her face with her arm and Himuro gave her a concerned look.

"You're not getting a cold, are you?"

Mel just waved him off. "I'm fine! It's just one sneeze."

Back with Akira and Sam, the two girls heard the boys talking from the other side of the tall divider. Some of the boys were talking about peeping at the girl's side of the spring and the two dragons couldn't help but feel their anger rise. The heat of the pool wasn't healing. Before Akira could threaten them, the two girls heard Riko speak from the other side of the wall and pummel the boys. Lucky for Tyler, he wasn't comfortable with joining the group in the bath and decided to stay in the room.

Akira and Sam shared a sigh and rose from the pool. They dried themselves off before slipping into their change of clothes. They notice Riko walking in on the way out and waved before leaving. In the hallway, they were surprised to find Kuroko lying on a bench with a towel draped over his eyes. They guessed that he wasn't feeling quite well from the hot spring and decided to leave. As they got closer, they saw a tanned, blue-haired boy place a water bottle next to Kuroko's head. When Kuroko thanked the boy, he removed the towel and the look on his face was one of surprise. They stepped closer to see what was up.

As the two got closer, the boys noticed their presence and toward them. The tanned boy's eyes went wide at the sight of them and he breathlessly uttered:

"Aki…"

Akira tilted her head to the side ever so slightly and gave a look of confusion. "Hi. Have we met before?" The look on the boy's face showed a bit of hurt, but he quickly hid it and returned to a natural expression.

The redhead turned to Sam and the brunette made a few gestures. 'Maybe he's one of the friends you made when you were at Teiko, one you forgot what your plan crashed.' It was Akira's turn to look surprised. She turned back to the boy, then to Kuroko, giving him a look that requested his help. Unfortunately, Kuroko was too focused on the other bluenette and didn't notice. After an awkward silence, the tanned boy spoke.

"I saw your match," he said while taking a sip of his own drink. "So that's your new skill Satsuki's been talking about."

"Yes," Kuroko confirmed. "It's for fighting against Aomine-kun…"

Upon hearing the tanned boy's name, Sam turned to face Aomine. He was quite tall, like Kagami, but the boy's eyes conveyed a different emotion. She could tell that he was in a pit; one that he couldn't crawl out of to see the light. The brunette wondered how he had gotten to be in such a situation. Turning to Akira, she could tell the redhead was thinking the same thing.

"Sorry, but it ain't gonna work," Aomine scoffed. "The team that's going to win the winter cup is…"

Suddenly, Kagami appeared and put his arm on Aomine's shoulder. "U-"

"Hey guys!"

Everyone looked startled at Robert, who had decided to ruin Kagami's dramatic entrance. The boy had his arm on both Akira and Sam's shoulders and had a huge smile on his face. The girls sighed while Kagami and Aomine gave him an annoyed look.

Aomine scowled. "Robert, what are you doing here?" The boy in question gave a confused look.

"I was looking for Sam and Akira. Isn't it obvious?"

The tanned boy looked even more annoyed, but turned back to Kagami. "Anyway, you think you can win? It looks like you actually did open the gate, but… you're still lingering at the starting line. You're not even close to us of the 'Generation of Miracles' yet. You're barely entertainment at this stage." The boy turned to the Dragons. "Him on the other hand…"

Robert burst out laughing. "Ah ha ha! So you finally acknowledge me, Aomine? I'm touched!"

"I wasn't talking about _you_ , you idiot! I was talking about him!" Aomine pointed to Sam and everyone went speechless. Aomine saw that Sam had entered the zone in the game against Kirisaki Daiichi and it caught his attention. He was never there to notice Robert's skill during practice or during games, and he hadn't noticed that he had already seen Akira play on the court, so he couldn't have been talking about them. Robert was the first to speak up.

"Um, Aomine? Sam's not a guy. She's a girl."

The tanned bluenette looked Sam up and down. "What are you talking about? He's obviously a guy."

Sam looked down at her clothes. She was wearing a black short-sleeved shirt with two dragons printed on it; one crimson and the other turquoise. Under her shirt was her swim-shirt – which she wore into the hot spring despite Akira telling her not to. Her pants were plain black cargo shorts. Sam nodded to herself. _I guess I_ do _look like a guy... Oh well._

Robert shook his head. "Whatever." He turned to Sam and Akira. "Oh yeah! Guess what, guys. I'm going to be your first Winter Cup opponent!" The Seirin players froze in shock. Touou was going to be their first opponent. Then, Kuroko grinned.

"Sorry. To be honest… I just thought, 'yes!' when I heard your words."

Kagami smirked. "No one believed it would be easy from the very beginning. Furthermore, sooner or later, we're meant to fight them at one point." The redhead made a fist. "There's nothing bad about repaying our debt quickly."

Akira turned to Sam. "I'm guessing they lost to Touou pretty badly before." Sam nodded in agreement.

Before they knew it, the conversation ended and the two Touou players were about to leave. Aomine started walking, but Robert made sure he grabbed Sam before leaving. He surprised everyone by walking up in front of her and lifting her over his shoulder. Sam grabbed onto the back of his shirt, scared that she was going to fall, but no one else made a move to stop Robert. He and Aomine then proceeded to head back to their room. Sam made eye contact with Akira one more time before they turned the corner. She mouthed a single word:

'Robert'

The brunette noticed that the redhead smirked before the view was blocked by a wall.

The trip to Touou's room only lasted about a minute before they stopped in front of a large sliding door. Robert carefully lowered Sam back into a standing position and gave her a big smile.

"Sorry for abducting you," he said cheerfully, "but I wanted to talk to you alone." Sam looked worried, but Robert quickly waved it off. "Nothing's wrong or anything. I just wanted to talk, just you and me, like old times." He led Sam to a bench just outside his room and they sat down.

Sam turned to her taller friend. 'What do you want to talk about?' she asked in a few gestures. Robert shrugged.

"Anything! Let's start with something random. You go first." Sam thought for a moment before speaking quietly. The sound of her voice made Robert smile.

"How are Khan and Bailey?" Kahn and Bailey were the names of Robert's two fully-grown Belgian Tervurens. They had puppies a while back and they would be ready to be adopted by now.

Robert grinned. "They're doing great. I called Mom yesterday and she said that all of the puppies had found a home." He noticed a sad look in Sam's eyes before she quickly hid it.

"That's great," she said quietly. Robert's heart hurt to see her so sad. He knew that Sam had loved dogs, especially Khan and Bailey, so he knew just how much she was attached to the pups. He then smiled and praised himself for his smart thinking. He leaned a little closer. There was a big smile on his face.

"Hey, Sam? I've got a surprise for you, but you're going to have to hang in there a bit longer until it arrives, okay?" Before Sam could say anything else, Robert placed his hand on Sam's hip to pull her closer, then pecked her on the cheek. He then quickly stood up and ran off. The boy failed to notice the huge blush that erupted on Sam's face.

Sam sighed. _I bet Mel is the only one of us without boy troubles…_

Mel sneezed again, this time, even louder. She received a concerned glanced from Himuro. The boy then proceeded to take off his sweater and place around his shorter friend. Mel looked up and found Himuro's face slightly flushed. Unknowingly, her face was flushed as well and Himuro had a clear view.

"Wouldn't want you catching a cold, now would we?" Himuro asked with a smile. Mel smiled back.

"Nope!" She pulled the sweater closer to her face. Her smile grew when she breathed in his scent. It smelt like cherries and sweat – not that the sweat made it unpleasant.

Without being conscious of the fact, Mel started walking closer to Himuro. Noticing this, the boy gently wrapped his arm around Mel's shoulders.

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Akira and Kuroko were walking back to the team's room together after their run in with Aomine and Robert. Kagami had left to get something, so it was just the two of them.

Akira looked over to her blue-haired friend. Did she really develop feelings for Kuroko? She did remember all of the good, and bad, times back at Teiko, and he was the first person she remembered. He was just as kind as he was back in middle school. The only thing she noticed that was different was his attitude toward basketball. He seemed even more serious than before, like he was trying to prove something, or like something personal was on the line. Akira was curious to say the least. Then she remembered the boy from before, Aomine.

"Kuroko?" she asked, getting his attention. "That guy from earlier, the one from Touou… who was he? Did I know him back in middle school?"

Kuroko stopped walking and stood there for a moment without saying anything. He then turned to his redheaded friend with his classic, emotionless face. Unfortunately from him, Akira could tell by his eyes all of the emotions running through him. She decided not to point it out.

"Yes, he was one of our friends from Teiko. Aomine Daiki, one of the 'Generation of Miracles'."

Akira frowned. Just speaking about the guy seemed to make Kuroko depressed. She faintly remembered something about Kuroko having a really close friend whom he considered his light, but he couldn't put a face to it. She was really beginning to hate her amnesia more and more. Deciding she couldn't stand to see the sight of Kuroko so hurt, Akira changed the subject.

"Hey! Do you want to check up on Tyler in the room? I bet you he's fussing about the sleeping arrangements."

When Akira saw the slight smile grace Kuroko's face, her heart raced. _Maybe I do like Kuroko…_

When the two arrived at the room, they found Tyler rapidly speaking to himself about where everyone would sleep.

"I can't have the girls too close to the boys, but there's not that much space in here… Maybe I can force someone to sleep outside!"

Akira quickly shut the door. "Maybe we should come back later…" Kuroko only nodded.

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Mel woke up the next day ready for school. With the house to herself for the time being, she decided to wake up a bit earlier. She got dressed and made breakfast before grabbing her things and locking up. When she got outside, she was ecstatic to find Himuro just stepping out of his house.

"I finally beat you!" she shouted in triumph while pumping her fist into the air. Tatsuya just chuckled.

"I guess you did. Congrats."

The two started walking to the train station. It was then that Mel remembered Himuro's sweater. She pulled it out of her bag all nicely folded and washed.

"Thanks for lending me your sweatshirt yesterday. I washed it for you." She reached out to give it back, but Himuro just shook his head and smiled.

"It's fine; you can keep it," he said. "I have more."

Mel's face sprouted a huge grin. She carefully put the sweater back in her bag and for the rest of the walk, her smile never faltered.

When the two made it to the train station, the doors had just opened and they easily stepped aboard. They sat next to each other. Himuro noticed that Mel had a stuffed charm attached to her bag that hadn't been there before. He decided to ask about it.

"That charm is cute. Where did you get it?"

Mel looked down at her bag and smiled. "I made it!"

Tatsuya looked surprised. The charm was expertly made without so much as a single loose thread. The seams were completely hidden and the fabric was of great quality.

"You did an amazing job," he complimented. Mel just shrugged and feigned arrogance.

"I _am_ the best seamstress out there," she tried to say with a straight face. She failed and ended up doubling over in laughter. Himuro joined her soon after.

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After school was over, Mel and Tatsuya were heading off to find a certain purple-haired giant. They knew that he wouldn't willingly come to practice, so they were planning on dragging him over. They should have assumed it wouldn't be easy. After about half-an-hour, they decided to stop and take a break.

"Where could he be?" Mel asked while scanning the area. There was no sign of Murasakibara.

Himuro scratched his head. "I'm not sure. He wasn't in the cafeteria or at any of the vending machines he usually goes to..."

Just then, Mel saw a flash of purple in her peripheral vision. Her head instantly shot to the purple-haired target who was just about to make it out the school gates.

"There he is!" Mel shouted, pointing to Atsushi. Apparently the giant heard her outburst and booked it. The two stared dumbfounded. Atsushi, the lazy giant of Yosen, the one who ate everything he could get his hands on… was… _running_ away. Not knowing just what to do, they decided to run after him. They had to say: he was _fast_!

They chased the boy down the street, through a park, all the way to a shopping mall. Mel couldn't help but feel a sense of deja vu. Finally, they saw him slow down and stop in front of… Mel couldn't help but gawk. Atsushi was standing in front of… a maid cafe…

"You have go to be kidding me," she said quietly. She grabbed Himuro's arm and dragged him over to the dreaded store and opened the door to find Murasakibara with an arm full of snacks.

"What are you doing here?" Himuro asked his much taller friend.

"I like their snacks here," the boy answered simply. Mel shook her head.

"How did I know?"

Tatsuya turned to Mel, confused. "You did? How…?"

"Let's just say I saw it in a dream," Mel sighed.

After the awkward trip, Mel and Himuro finally dragged Atsushi back to the gym. It felt like they already trained for the day and they really didn't feel like going inside. Mel hesitantly pushed open the door… only to find the room completely empty.

"Where is everybody?" she asked herself as the three walked over to the locker room. They found a sign taped on the door. It read:

 _There won't be any practice today. Coach had to leave early and gave us the day off! Your senpai left already! Mel, if you need me for anything-!_

Mel was already crumpling up the paper. She knew who the note was from. It was none other than Okamura. She spotted a trashcan a few feet away and threw the paper ball. She knew it was going to go in, but Atsushi blocked the shot. Mel frowned, grabbed the ball from his hand, and then properly tossed it in the trash. She turned back to her friends and smiled.

"So, who wants ice cream?"

 **I'm pretty sure you guys know what dream Mel was referring to. It was only the previous chapter after all. Sam is once again mistaken for a guy, Tyler is weird, what's new? We did get to see the characters' crushes; they will be shown more as the story progresses… probably. Hope you like this chapter! - Aloysius**

 **What do you mean "probably"?! Of course they'll pop up! Anyway, Mel's epic random talent has appeared. Aki and Sam have skills too, but of a different sort. Try to guess what Robert's gift for Sam is going to be! (It's probably not too hard to figure out…) Now, if you haven't already, go ahead and follow, favorite, and review! - Maelstrom_MVF**

 **They've already seen Sam's talent: her talent for music. Aki's will probably be something like…. yeah idk. - Aloysius**

 **… Whatever - Maelstrom_MVF**


	17. Chapter 17

**Training! Training, training, training. So much training. I feel bad for Sam, with her lack of stamina…**

 **Q: What's the dumbest animal in the rainforest?**

 **A: The polar bear.**

 **\- Mael**

 **Newton, Einstein, and Pascal are playing hide and go seek. It's Einstein's turn to count so he covers his eyes and starts counting to ten. Pascal runs off and hides. Newton draws a one meter by one meter square on the ground in front of Einstein then stands in the middle of it. Einstein reaches ten and uncovers his eyes. He sees Newton immediately and exclaims, "Newton, I found you! You're it!"**

 **Newton smiles and says, "You didn't find me, you found a Newton over a square meter. You found Pascal!" - Aloysius**

Ch 17

Sam and Kuroko slowed down their running pace to take a breather. They were panting heavily and dripping with sweat. Akira and Izuki, who were in front of them, turned back.

"Are you guys okay?" they asked. Kuroko responded with a yes while Sam could only nod. Suddenly, they heard a voice behind them.

"Look, there they are!" Hyuga shouted. He and Kiyoshi ran toward the four as fast as they could.

Akira and Sam were the first to react. They grabbed Kuroko and Izuki's arms to get them moving again and they continued to run for their lives.

"Stop!" the captain shouted. Sam wanted to facepalm, but she was too busy running.

"We're playing catch, so of course we're gonna run!" Izuki shouted back.

"Like I care!" was Hyuga's brilliant response.

(about an hour ago...)

Akira and Sam walked side by side as they left the hot springs. They felt fresh and ready for the day. They noticed Hyuga holding a sheet of paper, looking at it intently. They got closer and noticed that it was the lineup for the Winter Cup.

"Alright, are we all here? We'll go straight to practice once we get back!"

"Ah, Kagami-kun's been missing since this morning," Kuroko said, getting everyone's attention. His hair was a mess and Akira had to suppress the urge to play with it. It didn't work, as she snuck up behind the bluenette and ruffled his hair, making it even worse. When Tyler say it, he cringed. He quickly pulled out a comb and fixed it in a matter of seconds. When he was done, he admired his work.

Riko told the group that Kagami wouldn't be joining them for a few days and the Dragons couldn't help but wonder where he was. They decided to ask about it later.

As the team was leaving for home, Riko stopped and turned to opposite direction. Good think Akira and Sam decided to follow Riko. They were the only ones that didn't look like idiots when Riko said they were going to train at a training camp instead of heading straight home. Once inside, the boys changed in the gym while Aki and Sam moved to change in the bathroom. Tyler waited outside to make sure no one peaked on the girls. When they got back they found a middle-aged man pointing a gun at the boys, asking who was trying to peep at Riko.

 _I bet he's Riko's dad,_ Sam, Akira, and Tyler thought together. It was then the man noticed the three standing there, watching the scene unfold before them.

"Ah! Another boy!" he shouted as he pointed his gun at Tyler. Akira rushed forward and grabbed the man's wrist pointing the gun to the ceiling instead of at Tyler.

"Please calm down, sir," she said carefully. "Tyler wasn't even in the hot spring last night. He was back in the room taking a hour trying to figure out a way for the guys to sleep as far away from the girls as possible."

The older redhead chuckled. "I was going to make one of the guys sleep outside." Upon hearing this, the other guys' mouths dropped open.

Riko's dad suddenly appeared next to Tyler and let out a hearty laugh. "I like this kid!"

Irritated at her dad, Riko threw a basketball at the man. "Geez! Stop the nonsense and get on with it!"

Sam walked over to Mitobe. 'Who is he?' she asked.

'Riko's dad, Aida Kagetora. He's a sports trainer,' he gestured back.

Kagetora sighed. "Okay, okay. First of all, you guys...take off your shirts." The boys looked shocked at the command, but complied anyway. Akira and Sam walked up to the man and tapped his shoulder.

"Um, sir, what are we supposed to do?" Akira asked. Kagetora turned to the girls, then to Riko.

"You guys got two new members?"

Riko smiled. "Yup! These girls helped us quite a bit." Her dad turned back to the girls and looked them up and down.

"Who trained you two?" The girls pointed to Tyler. Kagetora then spoke with Tyler about his genius program and all that. When it didn't show any sign of ending, Riko had to snap her dad back to the situation at hand, again.

Riko's dad turned back to the boys. "Well, guess you lot are pretty good. Looks like you've been able to keep up with Riko and Tyler's training since summer. Not only your stamina, but your muscles have grown in a balanced fashion too. I'll praise you for now.

"Then let's get you guys split into two groups. You guys are the cops," he said pointing to Hyuga, Kiyoshi, Tsuchida, and Koganei. He then turned to Akira, Sam, Kuroko, Izuki, and Mitobe. "You guys are the robbers. So go over on that mountain and play cops and robbers for three hours."

The guys looked at Kagetora in disbelief while the girls got excited. They knew that they could win with all of the awkward terrain training they had back in Florida, even if Sam _did_ have a stamina problem.

Akira grabbed Sam's arm and started dragging her out of the building. "Let's go!"

(three hours later...)

"We're done, sir~~~~" the team said tiredly as they walked back into the gym. Everyone was covered in a thick sweat and hunched forward as they walked. Out of everyone, Akira looked the best, energy-wise, and Sam looked the worst. Once she made it into the building, she collapsed and fell asleep.

"Oh. Then before we go on with the practice, I'll tell you what you guys need to master by your match next month," Kagetora said as he turned toward the team. Upon hearing this, the guys shouted in shock.

"Eh…?!" Hyuga complained. "Then all the running we just did…"

"Moron, that was just a warm up," Riko's dad clarified. "Riko showed me the DVDs of your next opponent. An offensive team with a high level of individual skill the focuses solely on individual strength… They may seem like the complete opposite of you guys who focus teamwork, but, to me, they're the ones who've got better teamwork."

The boys were shocked, but Akira could only silently nod her head.

"Of course it's not like they're paying any special attention to it. They just have it," Kagetora elaborated. "It's not about not having any solo stunts. The important thing is for every single player to aim for the basket. Teamwork comes only after that's established. You don't call simple acts of friendship 'teamwork'."

Akira nodded as the coach started naming off times when the team made stupid decisions during their games. They really needed to learn from their mistakes and fix them. The interesting thing was Kagetora never called out Akira or Sam for anything. She hoped they really hadn't made many big mistakes and he wasn't saving them for a private talk later on.

"Be more self-conscious that you're Seirin's lifeline," Kagetora continued, talking to Hyuga. "Be able to shoot by yourself without relying on screens. I'll show you." He turned toward Izuki. "He~y, pretty-boy, give me a pass."

The boys looked surprised. They didn't know that Kagetora could play basketball. Akira was a bit intrigued at the situation.

"It's not simply that he can play," Kiyoshi said smiling. "He is a player… who was a member of Japan's national team."

Akira beamed. She knew just what to when Kagetora was done with his demonstration.

The trainer and Hyuga got into position on the court with Hyuga blocking and Kagetora attacking. The man suddenly shifted back several paces, surprising the glasses-clad captain, and shot a three-pointer. Hyuga tried to block, but to no avail. The ball went in without problem.

"...Well, it's something like that," Riko's dad said. "Just so you know, that wasn't about speed. It's a _skill_ that even you can do. Teamwork starts to truly shine… only when well-established individual strengths are gathered." He paused. "I'll make sure each one of you will develop your own weapons by the Winter Cup. In other words, they'll be your special moves… well, two of you have a few down," he added, looking toward Akira. When he didn't see Sam, he turned and found her sleeping on the floor and blanched.

"That's good and all, but…" Kuroko started. "What about Kagami?"

"Ah! He's going back to America for training!" Riko informed.

"Really? We are, too!" Tyler shouted.

"WHAT!?" the others shouted.

Akira smiled. "Yup! Our flight leaves in about two hours. We were going to leave once we figured out what you guys would be doing while we're gone." Akira looked to the trainer. "But, before we leave, can I ask something of you, Kagetora-san?" she asked.

The man was taken aback by the girl's question, but nodded. "Ah, sure. What is it?"

"Can you play me in a game of one-on-one?"

Everyone's eyes went wide upon hearing Akira's request. Some thought she was crazy, while others thought she was stupidly brave. Finally, Kagetora got over the shock and smirked.

"Why not," he replied.

The man and Akira got onto the court while everyone else stepped off to the side. Riko walked up with a basketball in her hand and a coin.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Akira?" Riko asked. When Akira nodded, she sighed. "Okay, we'll flip a coin to see who gets the ball first. Pick a side."

"Tails!" Akira shouted instantly, startling everyone else. When Riko flipped the coin, Akira won. When she got the ball, she turned to Kagetora and smiled sweetly.

"Be awed at the sight of my prowess!" she said, pointing to her opponent. No one had time to comment as they heard a whistle come from Tyler. They noticed tears in his eyes and he was triumphantly holding up a fist.

"She finally read the manga," they heard him say to himself. The guys decided to ignore him and turned back to the game.

Akira started dribbling the ball, getting faster and faster with each bounce. When she decided it was time, she rushed forward with amazing speed and passed a wide-eyed Kagetora. She reached the hoop in record time and feinted a shot. Just as she predicted, Kagetora whipped around and got in front of her to block, but because she feinted, he blocked air. Akira then pushed past and did a lay-up. The ball went in smoothly.

"Impressive," was all Kagetora said before he got the ball and started his counterattack.

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At the end of their game, Akira did a fist bump to the sky. She had won, 25 - 19. Both the girl and the trainer were sweating heavily and panting. Once she caught her breath, Akira walked over to the rest of the guys and Riko.

"That was fun! Anyway, make sure you guys work hard, and train them well, Kagetora-san~!" She hopped over to where she and Sam left their things and got their bags while Tyler picked Sam up and carried her. "See you guys in a few weeks!"

The team gave looks of shock as the three casually left the building. They just up and left right after an amazing game! There was no doubt in their minds that the Crimson Dragons were such unique people… then again, so were they.

Tyler and Akira hopped into a cab and headed toward the airport. When they got there, they met Mel, Robert, and Henry, who were also going back with them. Robert happily relieved Tyler of his load (Sam) and they all sat down to talk as they waited to board the plane.

"So, how has life been over at Seirin?" Robert asked as he hugged Sam.

"It's been great!" Akira said happily. "Are any of the Generation of Miracles causing any of you guys any trouble?" Robert chuckled uneasily while Mel gave a big smile and Henry pondered the question.

"Atsushi isn't too big a problem," Mel answered. "The only problem we have with him is getting him to go to practice after school and such, otherwise he's fine. He's actually very passionate despite him saying basketball isn't that interesting."

Akira smirked evilly. "What about Himuro?"

Mel's face started to glow red. "Wh-what about Tatsuya? Wait, why did you bring him up?!"

"No reason," Akira said, trying to hold back her giggles. Everyone else was already exploding in laughter. "And what about that sweater? Isn't it way too big for you? Where did you get it?"

"Enough!" Mel shouted, her face as red as Kagami's hair. "Why can't you pick on Robert?!"

Everyone turned to find Robert still holding the sleeping Sam. When he realized why they were looking at him as they were, his face decided it needed more blood. He tried to hide his blush, but his red ears betrayed him.

"Wha~t?" he whined. "Ya got a problem with it!?" he asked as he hugged Sam tighter. Everyone chuckled at the sight before Tyler got their attention.

"Oh! By the way, does everyone have their passports?" the oldest of the group asked. He received four nods in response. They pulled them out to show Tyler.

Akira, who was sitting next to her brother, noticed Tyler opening Henry's passport. The first place her eye moved to was his name: Henry O. Cadwell. _I wonder what the O stands for,_ she thought. "Hey, Henry, what's your middle name?" she asked.

Henry turned to Akira. "It's Oliver. Why do you ask?"

Akira shrugged. "No reason. It's just... I realized that I don't know any of your middle names except for Tyler's."

"What's Tyler's middle name?" Mel asked.

"Grant," Tyler answered. "Tyler Grant Mizutani. Sounds powerful, doesn't it?" he said, smiling.

"Totally!" Robert replied.

Mel poked Robert's side. "What about you, Robert?"

The onyx-eyed boy smiled, showing his pearly whites. "Robert Colin Asher, at your service! What about you, Aki?"

Akira shrugged. "My middle name is Katherine." She turned to look at Sam. "Does anyone know Sam's middle name?"

Robert beamed. "I do! It's Julia. What about you, Mel? You're the only one who hasn't told us their middle name yet."

Mel shook her head. "And I'm not going to."

"What?! Why not?!" Akira shouted.

"Because I don't want to," Mel answered simply.

The group's conversation was cut short as they were told they could board the plane. It took a while, but once they were all on, Tyler and Henry shared a row, Akira and Mel shared a row, and Robert and Sam shared a row. All three groups were next to each other. When the plane took off, they went right back to bothering Mel about her middle name.

Akira leaned forward and got Tyler's attention. "Tyler!" she whispered. "You can find out just about anything! Figure out Mel's middle name!"

Tyler blinked. "But I already know what it is," he answered innocently.

"Then why won't you tell us?!"

"Because she asked me not to…"

Mel sighed as the two siblings continued arguing. It was going to be a long ride…

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After their 15 hour flight, everyone was tired - everyone except for Sam, who had slept the entire ride. The group left the airport and hailed a taxi. They decided that they would all head over to Akira's house to stay the night because they were far too tired and her house was the closest.

Once they made it to the house, Sam and Henry had the pleasure of waking everyone up. Henry started waking Tyler and Akira while Sam had trouble trying to get out of Robert's bear-hug. In the end, Henry woke everyone up and Sam resorted to dragging the sleepy Robert out of the car. The others grabbed the bags in the back and together, they headed in.

Tyler, who had unlocked the door, realized that the lights were on inside and tilted his head toward Akira. "Are Mom and Dad back?" he asked. Akira shrugged.

The group stepped into the house and Robert was instantly tackled down by something big, black, and brown.

"Arf, arf!" the object barked. It was then everyone realized it was Robert's dog, Khan. Soon after, Khan's mate, Bailey, came running and joined Khan, sitting on Robert's chest.

"Khan! Bailey! What are you two doing here?!" Robert asked. He tried to get up, but the dogs wouldn't let him budge. Instead they covered his face in kisses.

"Okay, okay! I missed you guys, too. Now, can you please get off? You guys are heavy!"

The dogs finally listened and hopped off their owner and ran to Sam, showering _her_ in kisses. The girl happily hugged the dogs as they rubbed their heads against her.

The group of friends ventured further into the house to find everyone's families gathered around a huge dining room table. Everyone's relatives were there, even Mel's brother, Robert's brother, and Henry's sister were there. Upon seeing the six teens' arrival, the families beamed.

"Welcome home, Akira! Tyler!" The couple with orange hair stood and hugged their children.

"Saemi! I missed you!" A tall Japanese woman appeared around the corner carrying a plate of sandwiches. Her even-taller husband was close behind. "I figured you would be hungry after that flight."

The Dragons looked around in confusion. "Um… Who is Saemi?" asked Mel. Sam sighed and raised her hand. All the other Dragons, except for a certain childhood friend, gaped at her. Sam just shrugged it off and gave her parents a big hug.

"Really? I was sure your real name was Samantha or something!" Henry exclaimed. The others only nodded in agreement. Who knew her first name was Japanese? After getting over their shock, the remaining three Dragons went to their respective parents and greeted them.

Suddenly, a blonde woman, who must have been Mel's mom, started shouting. "MELANIE GRACE TERRENCE, WHAT ON EARTH DID YOU DO TO YOUR HAIR!?"

"Mom, all I did was fall asleep on the plane! I didn't have time to fix it after we landed!"

"It's fine," Mel's dad said, trying to calm his wife down. "It's not _that_ messy."

The other teenagers all grinned at each other, then at Mel. "So, your middle name is Grace, huh? Why didn't you want to tell us?"

Mel sighed (again) and replied, "I like my middle name, but not my first. 'Mel Grace Terrence' sounds weird, so I knew you were going to ask what 'Mel' was short for." Most of the Dragons nodded.

"Henry! It's so nice to see you again!" said a smiling, white-haired woman. Behind her stood a man with slick black hair; on his face, a smile just like Henry's. "How was Japan?" she asked.

"It was great!" Henry replied. "Lots of new things to study!" He noticed something pulling at his sleeve and found his sister smiling brightly up at him.

"Brother, brother! I found a dead squirrel while you were gone!" she cheered.

"Awesome, Lexi!" Henry beamed. "Show me! Show me!"

"Okay!" Lexi said as she excitedly pulled her brother over to the backyard.

While Henry and his sister left, Robert gave his shorter mother a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Then, he fist-bumped his dad, who had a huge smile on his face just like Robert. "Did ya miss me? I know I missed you!"

"Haha! We sure did!" his father laughed. "Your mother wouldn't stop talking about you! The only thing that could take her mind away from you was the pup you asked us to save for S-!" He didn't get to finished as Robert put a finger to his lips and 'shushed'. His dad took that as his sign to stop talking.

In the middle of all the catching up, Akira realized something. "Wait, how did you guys know we were coming?" she asked, getting everyone's attention. When no one answered, Tyler took his chance to clear his throat, gaining the crowds stares.

"Well, I _had_ to tell them. I _am_ the responsible chaperone after all." Tyler gave two thumbs up and smiled wide. Everyone broke out into laughter. They were all one big, unique family.

 **Hey, guys! Thanks for reading! I'm sorry, once again, for being inconsistent in updating. I can't really say it will get any better, but please stay with us. I promise we haven't given up on this story and thank you everyone who's gotten this far for staying with us. See you next update! - Aloysius**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey, guys! It's been a while. Sorry for the late update. Who knew that summer would be so busy?! Anyway, don't worry about us finishing the story; I don't think we could ever give it up before reaching the end. With that note, please enjoy the chapter! - DF**

Ch 18

The five families all sat down around the enormous dining room table and enjoyed a feast made by the Dragons' mothers. They talked about the time the six friends spent in Japan and about school. Everyone was cheerful and had smiles on their faces as they chatted and ate. Once they finished dinner, they moved onto dessert and a certain dog-owning Dragon decided it was the perfect time to follow through with his promise.

Robert leaned over to whisper into his little brother's ear. "Hey, Jack, can you distract Sam for me?" When his little brother nodded back, he smiled and stood up. "I'll be right back!" He announced to no one in particular, and then left the room.

"Sam! Sam!" Jack shouted, moving into Robert's chair to sit next to the girl. His 9-year-old, bubbly personality made Sam smile. "I missed you so much when you were gone! Can you play a song on your violin for me again?!"

Sam giggled at the boy's enthusiasm and nodded, ruffling his hair, making it stick up every which way. "'Course!" she said quietly as she sleepily ate the last piece of her cake. Sam flinched when cold cream was smeared on her nose. She didn't quite have time to get over her shock when Robert returned and lifted Jack into the air.

"Jack! What do think you're doing? Did I just see you trying to flirt?!" Robert asked dramatically. Everyone but Jack could tell he was joking.

"No! Of course not!" Jack replied quickly. "Wait… what is… flirting?"

Robert chuckled and put his brother back down in his original seat. "Oh, it's nothing…" He then sat back down and held something behind his back. "Guess what I have~" Robert teased. Mel and Akira started giggling when Sam just tilted her head.

 _How does she not notice his feelings?_ Mel and Akira asked themselves. As if Sam could hear their thoughts, she turned to them and looked at them sternly. They noticed her face slightly flushed.

 _Like you don't act the same,_ her look seemed to say. This reacted in Akira and Mel sporting blushes much like Sam.

"Is it a bag of ghost peppers?" Henry asked happily.

Robert shook his head. "Nope." He paused. "Wait, what kind of surprise is that?" he asked Henry, exasperated. Henry just shrugged.

"Is it a Nano CD?" Mel guessed. Robert shook his head again.

Akira tapped her chin. "What about a Kurasuno jersey cosplay from 'Haikyuu'?"

 _So specific!_ rang through everyone's minds.

Robert shook his head, then turned to Sam. "Care to guess?" he asked with a huge grin. "I bet you can't guess it!"

Sam thought for a moment. She turned and looked at everyone's faces. Her parents and Robert's were struggling to keep straight faces and she knew something was up. She tried to remember if Robert had told her anything about it before and thought back to their run in at the hot spring the other day. Something about a surprise, that was it. She had no clue what it was.

"Sheet music?" she guess. Somehow, she knew she was wrong.

Robert's grin grew. "Nope! It's way better!" He pulled the object in question out from behind his back and nearly everyone gasped. It was one of Khan and Bailey's puppies. His face was a classic black mask and the rest of his body was a mix of vibrant brown and black. What made him even cuter was that its fur puffed out as if the pup was trying to impersonate a cotton ball.

Sam had stars in her eyes as she reached out to the pup and tickled his chin, making him reach out to her in glee. Just about every girl at the table let out a small squeal.

"Surprise!" Robert and his parents cheered. Sam was speechless.

"Saemi, say something!" her mother whispered to her.

"I… You… Why?" Sam tried to find the right words, but she couldn't think of what to say.

Robert chuckled and handed the stunned girl the pup. "I knew that you fell in love with the pups, so I asked my parents if I could keep one for you. I got your parents' permission first, of course." He laughed when the pup licked the forgotten lump of cream off Sam's nose. "As to why I decided to do it, I just wanted to make you happy!"

Everyone in the room had to agree that what Robert had just said was the cheesiest thing they had ever heard. They also had to agree that it was really sweet. Sam's mom certainly thought so. She swiftly got Sam's attention. She pointed to her cheek, then to Robert, making Sam's face explode red. The girl shook her head vigorously, earning a frown.

"Why not?" the woman asked. "It's not like you have a boyfriend, right?"

Mel's mother suddenly turned to face Mel. "So, Mel… Do you have your eyes on anyone?" Immediately after she asked, Mel's face looked like it had been painted red, causing the other Dragons to crack up.

 _She's thinking about Himuro_ , they all thought. Even Henry and Robert knew about the blonde's crush. The Dragons always kept in contact with each other, especially when it came to personal stuff.

Mel's mom also noticed her daughter's face change color and pressed on:

"Who is he? How long have you known him? Is he neat or messy? Does he keep up with his studies? Does he take on any extracurricular activities? Where does he live?"

"MOM!" Mel shouted, cutting her mother off from her rant. "Don't you think these questions are a bit personal?" _Not to mention, embarrassing!_ Mel couldn't believe she was about to admit her crush on Tatsuya. She knew the other Dragons would tease her relentlessly once they were alone.

"Of course not!" her dad replied. "Now, answer your mother's questions."

Mel sighed. She knew her parents wouldn't stop until they got answers, so she complied. "His name is... Himuro Tatsuya." She blushed a bit as she said his name and the Dragons inwardly smirked. "I met him in L.A. once when learning basketball from Alex, then again before school started. He is very neat, he has straight 'A's, he's one of my teammates on our basketball team, and he lives right across the street from Akira's house."

Her mother had her eyes closed and nodded every time Mel answered one of her questions. Once she was done, the woman looked up. "Alright, but make sure he writes a letter to me ASAP. I want to see how neatly he writes." She then turned to Tyler. "I want you to keep an eye on this Himuro boy, Tyler. Contact me if you have any concerns at all."

Tyler nervously chuckled and scratched the back of his neck. "Of course, Mrs. Terrence. You can count on me..."

Mel's older brother, Zach, who had been quiet till now, leaned over to whisper into Mel's ear. "You're wearing his sweater, aren't you?" he asked casually.

She looked down and realized he was right. "What? How...?" Mel asked, flustered.

Zach shrugged. "It's not Tyler's, so I guessed. Your reaction confirmed it." He received a huff and a weak punch to the arm before he got back to his dessert.

After Mel was done being interrogated, Akira's father put his arm around his daughter's shoulders. "So, do you like anyone?" he asked with a huge smirk.

Akira thought for a moment. She thought back to what Sam had said back at the hot spring and a hue of red spread across her cheeks in embarrassment. Everyone immediately noticed and grinned.

"I see that look on your face~" her mother said. "So tell me, who is it?"

Akira shook her head. "I'm not really sure it's considered a crush…"

"Yes it is," Sam interrupted. Akira's face turned even redder.

"Fine," she conceded. "I think I like this boy. His name is Kuroko Tetsuya."

"Kuroko?!" Tyler shouted, startling everyone.

"What's wrong, Tyler?" his mother asked. "Is there something wrong with him?"

"Of course there's something wrong!" was the brother's reply. "He has, like, no presence! How am I supposed to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't do anything if I can't see him?!"

Akira's dad turned to the Dragons. "Does he really have that low of a presence?"

"No," they answered simultaneously. "We see him just fine."

Mrs. Mizutani giggled and put a hand on her son's shoulder. "I think we need to get you some glasses." Her comment made Tyler sulk. "And Akira, we're not done yet! Please describe him."

Akira sighed. "He's about an inch shorter than me with light blue hair and eyes of the same color. He does have a bit of a lack of presence to most people, but the Dragons and I can see him just fine. He's kind, a bit emotionless, but his eyes tell everything if you know how to look…"

The redhead stopped talking when she heard someone giggling. She turned to find everyone covering their mouths, holding back their laughter. She suddenly realized she was ranting and flushed.

"Yeah, _totally_ not a crush," Mel said sarcastically, and everyone could no longer hold back. The room was full of laughter and Akira couldn't help but join in. When they finally settled down, Sam spoke up, startling everyone.

"Why don't you show them a picture on your phone," she quietly suggested.

"Great idea!" Akira responded as she pulled out her phone. She took a minute to scroll through the pictures before she showed everyone an image of the Seirin team, Mel, and Kasamatsu and Kise from Kaijou.

Akira's dad pointed to Kuroko, who was standing next to Akira. "Is this him?" he asked curiously.

"Yup!"

Suddenly, the phone was snatched out of Akira's hands. When she looked to see who took it, she found it in the hands of a wide-eyed Robert. He was staring at the picture in surprise, then in anger.

"What is _he_ doing in this picture?!" he shouted, pointing to the spiky-haired captain standing next to Sam. Henry took the phone, his signature, slightly unsettling, smile on his face.

"That's my basketball team's captain, Kasamatsu. I heard from Kise that they went to the beach one day to train. He said something about Kasamatsu getting into trouble, but he never got to finish as Kasamatsu came in bright red and kicked him!" Henry said happily. "He's also the guy on that video you sent me!"

"He's your captain?!" Robert asked, surprised. When Henry, nodded, Robert started leaking a killer aura. "Expect a visit from me when we get back…"

"Do you not like this boy?" Mr. Asher asked curiously. "He looks nice…"

Robert started crying hysterical tears. "I don't care how he looks! He did something unforgivable!"

"And what would that be?" his mother joined in.

"He kissed Sam!" Robert cried.

Everyone in the room froze. After a minute, the other Dragons, not including Sam, started cracking up. The families just sat with their mouths wide open. Sam's face exploded into a million shades of red.

"Saemi! Why didn't you tell us?!" Mrs. Lyons asked, completely stunned. Her husband couldn't even speak.

At this point, Sam fainted from embarrassment. Robert quickly caught her and hugged her close. Akira and Mel decided that it was finally time to clear up the misunderstanding.

"Um, that's not quite exactly what happened…" Akira said, giggling.

"Yeah. It happened the day we went to the beach," Mel joined in. "Kasamatsu thought Sam was a guy, and we learned that he was socially awkward toward girls, so Aki and I decided it would be funny to see what would happen if he found out she was really a girl. We sent her off to talk to the guy, and when they stopped at this beach cafe, one of the waitresses accidentally spilled water all over Sam."

"Sam and Kasamatsu offered to help clean, and when they were leaning over the table, the waitress accidentally slipped and bumped into Sam, pushing her into Kasamatsu, resulting in them accidentally kissing," Akira finished. "They both promptly fainted afterwards and I'm pretty sure Kasamatsu still thinks Sam's a guy."

There was a thick silence that took over once the two girls finished their story. Sam's parents seemed to have calmed down a bit, but were still tense.

"So the kiss was an accident?" Mr. Lyons repeated. When the girls nodded, and Tyler nodded as extra confirmation, he and his wife broke out into laughter. "I never would have guessed that would be how Sam would get her first kiss. I always thought it would be with… never mind. I think Saemi has been embarrassed enough!"

Everyone except for a certain couple was confused about the comment, but pushed it off. Akira sighed.

"I guess that's about it. Hopefully there won't be any more surprises," she said to her friends.

Tyler grinned. "Actually~" He pulled six tickets out of his pocket. "There's one more surprise. I got the Dragons and myself tickets to the anime convention that's going on tomorrow!"

Akira had her mouth wide open, Mel squealed with delight, Henry kept smiling, Robert cheered up, and Sam was still out cold. None of them had been to a convention that had to do with anything other than basketball before, so they were beyond excited. Just when one of them was about to say something, Jack pulled his brother's sleeve, getting his and everyone else's attention.

"Robbie, I'm tired…" Jack said sleepily, rubbing his eyes to try and stay awake. His cute little face touched everyone's heartstrings.

Robert smiled and lifted his brother onto his lap, careful not to bump into Sam. "You wanna go home, buddy?" His little brother nodded.

"I think we should go, too," Mrs. Terrence said. "It's getting a bit late." She turned and found her daughter fast asleep. She sighed. "I think a few of Sam's habits have rubbed off on her…"

Zach sighed and lifted his sister. He carried her out to the car and helped her in, then waved goodbye before the family drove home. Henry was the next to leave. Then Robert and Sam left.

Once Akira and Tyler finished unpacking their things, they fell back onto their beds and instantly fell asleep, thinking of the anime convention they were going to the next day.

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Bright and early the following day, Akira jumped out of bed and rushed into the bathroom to get ready. She was in and out in record time. She had on her cosplay costume she decided on: Takuto from 'Star Driver'. Akira hopped down the stairs and found Tyler ready to go as Ichigo from 'Bleach', hollow mask and all.

 _I think he's a bit_ too _obsessed,_ Akira thought to herself. She shrugged it off and tapped his shoulder, scaring him.

"Akira!" he shouted when he saw her. "Oh no, the world is ending!"

"What are you talking about?" Akira asked.

"You woke up early! You _never_ wake up early!" Akira smacked the back of Tyler's head and took his mask. "Hey!" He chased Akira all the way to Henry's house before he got his mask back. He huffed and knocked on the door. When it opened, Henry stepped out, already dressed in his own cosplay of Hisoka from 'Hunter X Hunter'.

"Hey guys!" he greeted. His smile fit perfectly with his outfit and it sent shivers down the two siblings' spines.

"Hey, Henry…" they said, slightly frightened. The three stopped at Mel's house next. When they knocked, they were met by Mr. Terrence.

"Wow! You guys look great!" he complimented. "You looking for Mel?"

The three teens nodded and they were let in. They headed up to Mel's room and found her dressed as Katara from 'Avatar', playing with her pet rat and best friend, Artemis. When she heard them enter, she turned and jumped a foot in the air.

"Holy smokes! Henry, you scared the heck out of me!" she shouted. She put Artemis back in her cage and calmed herself down. "Why did you dress as Hisoka, anyway?"

Henry shrugged. "It was the first costume I saw in my closet."

"Who even has a Hisoka costume ready to go?" Tyler asked to no one in particular.

"I guess Henry does," Akira finished.

Mel tickled Artemis' chin before leaving her room with her friends. She bid her parents goodbye and they left for Sam's house. It didn't take long before they reached her doorstep.

"It's a good thing we all live close by," Akira commented as she fingered her coat. She knocked on the door.

"Who do you think Sam will go as?" Tyler asked excitedly. "Allelujah from 'Gundam 00'? Yakumo from 'Psychic Detective Yakumo'? Train from 'Black Cat'?"

"Why didn't you name any female characters?" Akira asked.

Tyler sighed. "You really think she'll dress like a girl if she had an option?"

"No," everyone answered at the same time. Then the door opened. Mrs. Lyons gave them a smile.

"Good morning!" she greeted. "Come in, come in! Robert came over a while ago and he's trying to get Sam out of bed. Right now, he's losing."

The four teens rushed over to Sam's room to find Robert exhausted on the floor and Sam sleeping peacefully in her bed, all wrapped up in her multiple layers of blankets. Robert was fully dressed as Vash the Stampede from 'Trigun', but Sam had taken his model gun and held it in her hands as she slept.

"What happened in here?" Mel asked.

Robert groaned and sat up. "I came in to try and wake Sam up. I shook her, picked her up, but nothing worked. When I tried taking her blankets, I accidentally dropped my gun on her head and she kicked me in the gut."

The girls chuckled while Tyler and Henry shook their heads. Robert should have known Sam wouldn't want to get up. She was just as bad as Akira on the weekends.

Robert got up and sat down on Sam's bed. "Sam~! Get up~!" He laid back so he was facing the ceiling, his weight crushing Sam. "If you don't get up, I'll squish you."

"Your weight doesn't bother me…" Sam said sleepily.

"What about us?" Akira and Mel jumped on top of Sam, pushing Robert off in the process.

Sam got the breath knocked out of her and she rolled out of bed. She groaned as she lifted herself from the floor and trudged to the bathroom. She came out ten minutes later, fully dressed in her Shiroe costume.

"'Log Horizon'! Nice," Tyler commented.

Sam walked over to Robert and gave him a hug. "Sorry for kicking you."

Robert beamed and hugged her back, lifting her up in the process. "I forgive you!" He put her down and pointed to the model gun Sam still had in her hands. "Can I have my gun back?"

Sam shook her head and put the gun in the pouch attached to her hip. She grabbed her staff and Robert's arm, dragging him out of her room. The others followed. When they made it to the living room, Sam's pup ran over and jumped on Sam. She caught him and kissed his head.

"Have you named him yet, Sam?" Akira asked as she pet the pup's head.

Sam thought for a moment. "Sirius," she answered.

The puppy barked and wagged his tail what Sam said the name, making the girl smile. She moved him over to the couch and motioned for everyone to close their eyes. The teens were curious to know what Sam was up to, but decided to wait till she was done. A few minutes later, she tapped their shoulders and they opened their eyes. In front of them, Sirius was dressed as a mini griffin.

"He's so cute!" Akira and Mel squealed. Sam nodded. She had stars in her eyes when looking at her pup.

Robert leaned in and kissed the pup's nose. "He _is_ a cutie, but I won't lose to him."

"What are you talking about?" Mel asked.

"Oh, nothing…"

The completed group headed to the convention hall where the anime convention was being held. The line wasn't too long, so they quickly zipped through and the Dragons couldn't help but gape. Everyone was dressed as anime characters, and it was absolutely amazing. While they were looking around, Mel and Henry spotted a certain 'Hunter X Hunter' cosplayer and decided to congratulate him on his spot-on costume.

"Hey! Your costume is amazing! You look just like Feitan," Mel complimented.

"Thanks!" the stranger replied. They turned around and his eyes went wide. " **You're from Yosen!** " he shouted in surprise.

Mel looked a little closer and noticed that the cosplayer was none other than Takao Kazunari. Her mouth fell open. " **You're the guy from Shuutoku!** "

Upon hearing the outbreak, the rest of the Dragons headed over. They were about to ask what was going on when they noticed Takao. Then, a certain green-haired boy walked in, surprising everyone.

" **Takao, I'm going to kill you when we get ba-"** he stopped halfway when he saw the Dragons. " **Akira…** " he said, surprised. Then he saw Sam. " **You!** "

Everyone looked Midorima up and down. He was dressed as Kent from 'Amnesia'. It was amazing how well he pulled it off.

" **Hey, Mr. Carrot!** " Mel shouted.

Midorima sent a glare to Mel before turning back to Sam. **"What are you doing here? Are you here to throw someone's lucky item away?"**

Sam scoffed. " **You do know the character you're dressed as is from a dating si-** " She didn't get to finish as Tyler covered her mouth.

"I think him wearing that is humiliation in itself. I don't think he needs to know who he's dressed as." Tyler removed his hand. **"The question is: who picked it out?"**

Midorima turned to Takao with a glare. **"What did you make me wear?"** he asked seriously.

Sam, Tyler, and Takao cracked up. The others had no idea why, but they figured Takao was dead meat. In a matter of seconds, Takao was running away with an angry Midorima chasing him. Sam leaned over to whisper into Akira's ear.

"When we get back, can you ask him if I can buy his cosplay's jacket?"

Akira chuckled and nodded her head. "Now, let's go!" she shouted pointing in a random direction. The group followed as she hopped around.

Akira was so excited to be at the convention. There were stalls everywhere selling all kinds of things. There was a stage with people reenacting and playing music. It was amazing! She walked up to a stall that was selling charms and browsed through their selection. She found an azure charm shaped like a basketball and giggled. _This is perfect._ Akira picked up the charm and walked over to the vender.

"Hi! Can I buy this charm?" she asked.

The vender looked up from his work and smiled. "Sure! Would you like to engrave anything on the back?" he asked.

"Can you write the name 'Kuroko'?"

"Of course!" The man quickly etched the name into the charm and handed it to Akira. "Have a nice day!"

"Thanks!" she shouted as she walked away. Akira looked at the charm and smiled. She hoped Kuroko would like it. Now for the rest of the souvenirs. She figured she could get one for Kagami, but she'd much rather see his reaction if Mel gave him one. She chuckled to herself. _Totally._ The redhead smiled and went to look around some more.

The next stall Akira went to was selling cat-themed items: cat backpacks, cat charms, cat hats, cat socks, cat everything! She walked up to the charms and found one with brown fur and stripes. She thought of Riko. Akira smiled and bought the charm for her coach, then walked off to look at more stuff.

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Mel jumped from stall to stall, marveling at all of the items being sold. She knew that she wanted to get a couple souvenirs for her friends, but she wasn't quite sure what to buy. Then, all of the sudden, her phone vibrated. She pulled it out and found a text from Akira.

' _i think u should get tiger a gift - Aki'_

Mel tilted her head in confusion. _Wouldn't it be more special if Akira got it for him?_ she wondered. _She_ is _on his team._ Mel shrugged. _Oh well. I guess I could get him something._ Right before she put her phone back, she found two other texts. They were from last night.

' _Terre-chin~ i want snacks! hurry up & come back! - Atsushi'_

' _Hey, how is it in America? Oh, and don't worry about Atsushi. He's just a bit cranky. - Tatsuya'_

Mel giggled. While most of her friends texted in improper sentences, Tatsuya decided to text in complete sentences with the proper punctuation. She decided she would text him back that night. Looking up from her phone, she found a stall selling a whole variety of things. She decided to go take a look.

The first thing that caught her eye was the box of candy. She remembered Atsushi's text and decided it would make a perfect gift. She purchased it, then continued looking.

 _What would Tatsuya like?_ Mel asked herself. She decided not to get him food, because she wanted to get him something he could enjoy for a long time. It was then she found a scarf that looked like the one Natsume had in 'Brothers' Conflict'.

After looking around some more, Mel noticed a large collection of key chains. She figured they would make good presents, so she went to look at them. Soon enough, a small tiger keychain caught her eye. _This would be perfect for Kagami!_ She bought it, and had it engraved with "#1". She then turned to look at her phone. _I wonder what the others are buying…_

Sam silently walked through the large crowds in the convention center. She looked over people's shoulders every once in awhile too see what was being sold, and when she didn't find anything interesting, she moved on. In her hand was her red staff. Whenever someone would forcefully bump into her, she would use her staff to stealthily trip them and walk on. This was one of these situations.

While she was walking, a guy in an Usopp cosplay stumbled by and rammed into Sam's shoulder. The girl turned to see the man sneering.

"Hey, get out of the way! People walkin' here!" he shouted, spit flying in all directions. When a drop hit Sam's cheek, her eyes turned cold.

Sam took her staff and bashed him in the nose with it, then slipped it between his legs and flipped him. When he tried getting up, she bonked him on the head and knocked him out.

Everyone around heard a strangled grunt and turned to find the man down. What they didn't see was Sam slipping away with a scowl. The only person who saw her was a man attending a booth selling props from various anime. He waved Sam over and smiled.

"I saw you take that guy out," he started, "and I'd like to thank you."

Sam tilted her head to the side a bit in confusion. She had assumed she was in trouble. The man chuckled.

"That guy has been causing trouble ever since the convention opened and he wouldn't leave," he explained. "As a thank you, you can get 75 percent off your total purchase of anything you buy from my booth."

Sam bowed her head in thank you, then started looking at the merchandise. There was so much stuff. While looking, she spotted a model of the camera Kayashima had in 'Hana Kimi'. She immediately thought of Mitobe and picked it up. She was definitely going to buy it.

As Sam continued looking, she spotted many other props. There were model swords, charms, just about anything, and all of it was impressive, but, Sam still couldn't find something she really wanted. Suddenly, she found a box full of anime character-shaped chocolates. Taking a closer look, she found them absolutely adorable. She decided it would make a great gift for the team and grabbed it as well.

Sam kept looking through the stuff for another ten minutes until she decided to move onto the next booth. She walked up to the booth's vendor and signaled that she was finished. The man smiled.

"Find everything you wanted?" he asked. Sam only nodded. "Great!" The man started entering the prices into the cash register when Sam noticed a very expensive Gundam Robert had said that he wanted. She got the man's attention and pointed to the Gundam.

"Oh, you want that, too?" He asked curiously. When Sam nodded her head, he happily grabbed the model and added its price to the machine. "Your total is $130."

Sam silently pulled out her wallet and paid the man. She was then handed a bag with her things and wished a good rest of the day. As she headed back to the meet-up location, she noticed the guy she beat up earlier beginning to wake up. He groaned and slowly rose from his position the floor. After a second to compose himself, he noticed Sam walking by.

"Hey! Do you know who you just-" He didn't get to finished his sentence as Sam thrusted the tip of her staff into his nose, making him yelp and clutch the bruised lump. The girl just walked away with a ghost of a smile on her lips. It then turned into a confused look when she heard her phone go off. It was Tyler.

"Hmm?"

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It was getting dark when everyone finally met up at the entrance to the convention center. Akira and Mel were grinning widely, as was Henry - but that was to be expected. Robert looked a little bummed, but still happy about his time there. Sam just yawned and closed her eyes, leaning on Robert for support.

Tyler did a quick headcount before smiling wide and pointing his thumb at the exit behind him. "Okay, guys, let's hit it!" He led the way out and surprised everyone when he stopped in front of three brand new motorcycles.

"Why are we stopping here?" Robert asked.

Tyler smirked. "Isn't it obvious? These are our rides home!" He pulled the keys from his pocket. "Two per bike; you can pick the pairs."

Robert immediately grabbed Sam and smiled brightly. Henry said he couldn't drive a motorcycle, and Mel just shrugged, saying she'd drive. Akira just jumped on behind Tyler and they were ready to go.

Before they took off, Mel and Akira stopped them. "How did you even get these in the first place?" they asked.

Tyler smirked. "I found a guy looking to get rid of them today, and he was getting irritated that no one wanted them, so I walked up with $50 left and asked if I could have them."

"And he actually accepted?!" Akira, Mel, and Robert shouted, exasperated.

"Nope," was Tyler's next reply. "He laughed at me and told me to book it, so I called Sam and she convinced him!" His face sported a huge grin, and everyone blanched. "Now then, let's go!"

The drivers revved up their engines and sped away from the convention center, heading towards home. It didn't take long until they saw their houses in the distance. They quickly sped up until they all came to a stop in front of the Mizutani residence. When they moved to dismount, Robert found Sam asleep, still clutching onto his waist. Everyone laughed as he flushed.

"Dude, I can't believe you haven't confessed yet," Mel said, struggling to settle down. Akira and Tyler were having the same problem.

Robert cleared his throat. "I-I'm waiting for the right time!" he defended.

"I'm pretty sure you missed it, then," Akira joined in. "You could have done it when you gave her the puppy. I'm sure she would have accepted."

"But you guys and all of our parents were there," the boy whined.

"So?"

"So, that's not romantic at all!" Robert shouted, his face even redder than before.

Henry walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "If you want, I can give you some pointers."

"Henry, are you _sure_ you know how to treat a girl?" Tyler asked cautiously. His response was a hearty chuckle.

"Of course!" Henry replied. "I'm pretty sure my girlfriend would have dumped me by now if I didn't."

The friends nodded their heads, then paused. After taking a minute to process when Henry just said, they all gasped. "YOU HAVE A GIRLFRIEND!?"

Henry feigned innocence. "Yeah, for about a year and a half now. I didn't tell you?"

"NO! YOU DIDN'T!"

With all of the shouting, Sam began to stir, unconsciously holding onto Robert tighter. As if he would leave! Robert was once again beet red as he sighed and turned to Henry.

"You know what? I think I could use some of that advice…"

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Robert huffed as he carried Sam into her house. Their parents had gone out for the night, so he decided to stay with his crush until they came back. He carefully placed her on the couch before putting the bag she was carrying into the table in front of them. Not five seconds later, Sam began to stir.

The brunette groaned as she sat up and noticed her taller friend sitting next to her. She gave im a look of confusion.

"Our parents went out, so I decided we could hang out till they got back," Robert explained. He received a nod in return. It was then Sam remembered something. She grabbed her bag and pulled out the Gundam she had bought at the convention.

Robert's eyes went wide as he carefully took the box. "Is this for me?" he asked, unbelieving. When Sam nodded, He immediately leaned forward and quickly gave her a peck on the cheek. "Thank you."

Sam flushed, and after several minutes of comfortable silence watching TV, she kissed his cheek back.


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey, everyone! We are sooooo sorry for taking so long to post this chapter! There was some terrible writer's block goin' on, and we were so busy, and Aloysius kept forgetting to post he chapter! Some heads up in advance, the rest of the chapters will more than likely be posted kinda randomly, so forgive us! Thank you for all of those who have continued to stick with us despite the long wait! Here's the next chapter. – DF**

 **Tip:**

 **(Bold)- Japanese; cuz they are in America currently**

(Regular)- English

Ch 19

Akira groaned and yawned as the sun shone through her window and right into her face. She looked at her alarm clock and found it to be 11:25am. The redhead turned around and cuddled deeper into her blanket, not caring. It wasn't until she heard a shout from the living room that she got up.

"AKIRA KATHERINE MIZUTANI! GET YOUR SLEEPY LITTLE BEHIND OVER HERE RIGHT THIS MINUTE!"

Startled, Akira jumped and fell from her bed and onto the floor. She quickly ran into her bathroom to change out of her pajamas before running into the kitchen, her hair still a mess. When she got there, she found her mother, angry, her father, concerned, and her brother, looking down in shame.

"What's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

Mrs. Mizutani turned to her daughter, anger written in all caps all over her face. "Why didn't you tell me you were in an all-boys basketball team?" she asked, almost hissing.

Akira's eyes widened and her mouth fell open. _How had she known?!_ Before she could say anything about the matter, her mother held up a hand.

"Before you say anything, wait until the rest of the Dragons and their families get here."

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It wasn't long until Mel, Henry, Robert, Sam, and their families were all situated around Akira's living room. Mel looked worried while Sam and Robert looked a bit guilty. Henry looked the most concerned as he didn't sport his usual smile. Their siblings just sat quietly, very aware of the tense atmosphere that was growing. After what felt like hours, Mel's mother decided to speak up.

"What were you girls thinking?" she asked. A bit of the girls' mothers' anger had died down during the wait, but a little was still there. "An all-boys team? Do you know how much trouble you could be in if you get caught?"

Sam tried to speak up, but her mother turned her gaze on her daughter and stopped her. "Saemi, don't you say a word." The girl closed her mouth and looked down.

Mel and Akira looked to each other before standing. "We wanted to play against stronger teams, Mom," Mel said, "and the only way to do that was play on an all boys team!"

"Plus, our schools don't have girls' basketball teams," Akira added.

"Couldn't you have joined another co-ed team?" Akira's mom asked.

"They don't have any of those in Japan!" Mel and Akira sighed.

Sam pursed her lips. This was one of those times she really wanted to talk, but she wasn't allowed to. Robert saw her discomfort and pulled her closer to him. He decided to help her out.

"Mrs. Mizutani, Mrs. Terrence, Mrs. Lyons," he said, getting the ladies' attention. "Is it really that different if they're on a co-ed team or an all-boys one? I mean, most co-ed teams are almost entirely comprised of guys anyway. It should be fine, right?"

Robert's mother sighed and shook her head. "It's about the rules, Robert. The girls could get in serious trouble for participating on a team they aren't allowed on."

Everyone sat there in silence as they each thought about what to say next. When no one could think of anything, Henry spoke up.

"I think it should be fine," he said, surprising everyone. Before anyone could comment, he continued. "Why don't we just have Sam go talk with the people running the Winter Cup and the principals to get permission. It shouldn't be that hard."

The mothers thought about it long and hard until their husbands placed a hand on their shoulders in reassurance.

"Henry's right," they said. "It shouldn't be too hard to get permission, especially if Sam's the one talking."

Finally, the mothers gave in and nodded. "Fine," Akira's mom said, "but if you don't get permission, I want you off the team immediately. Do I make myself clear?" The girls nodded enthusiastically before everyone settled down and decided to just talk more about the kid's time in Japan. Sam's mom went first.

"So how is your cousin, Rinn-kun?" she asked.

Sam gave a thumbs up, making her mother chuckle. Mel's mom was next.

"So, tell me more about this 'Himuro' boy."

Mel groaned and covered her face with her hands. "Can't we talk about Kuroko and Aki instead?"

"Yes!" Tyler shouted, grabbing Akira's shoulders. "PLEASE don't fall for someone I can't keep track of! What if he does something weird and I don't know?!"

Akira slapped his hands off of her and flicked him in the forehead. "Baka, aniki! Don't you pay any attention? Kuroko isn't like that."

Tyler started to cry hysterically while Zach mumbled to himself about not even being able to look after _Mel_ from all the way on the other side of the planet, much less her crush. While they were bickering, Sam's mom decided to join in.

"So, Saemi, how was your first kiss? Was it good? Bad? Not with the boy you expected it to be with?"

Sam flushed at her mother's words and couldn't seem to utter a sound. Robert, on the other hand, was making lots of noise.

"AAHHH! Mrs. Lyons, don't remind me!" he wailed, tackling the speechless girl with a hug. "To think that boy had the nerve!"

"Ahh!" Sam squeaked, trying to get him to loosen his grip. It didn't work. The whole time this was happening, Henry's parents turned to their son and smiled.

"So how is Madison? Have you contacted her since you got back?"

Henry smiled back. "I just texted her this morning. I was planning on visiting her today."

While the Dragons continued talking about their love lives, their siblings sat off to the side and had their own conversation.

"How come the Dragons' faces have been so red since they got back?" Lexi asked.

"It's because they are embarrassed about talking about their love lives," Zach answered simply.

Jack tilted his head. "Why would they be embarrassed about liking someone? Robbie likes Sam-Sam, and he isn't embarrassed."

Zach thought for a moment. "Robert's not a normal teen."

Jack opened his mouth to argue, but closed it soon after and nodded in agreement. Unfortunately, Robert had seen the entire exchange and gasped.

"Jack! You traitor!" The older teen shouted as he proceeded to chase his little brother until he caught him, tickling him silly.

Akira, who was still being questioned about Kuroko, decided she had had enough and abruptly stood up. "Heh heh heh, umm… why don't we just go and play, umm, basketball… yeah! Let's go play basketball, guys! See you later, Mom, Dad!" She grabbed Sam's and Mel's arms and quickly dragged them outside. Robert and Henry followed soon after. They didn't stop until they were in front of Mel's house.

"Man! That was one of the worst situations I have ever been through," Mel sighed, shaking her head. Sam just shrugged.

Mel ran inside her house and returned a couple minutes later with Artemis peeking out of Mel's jacket hood. The little grey rat was wearing a tiny Yosen jersey. Akira and Sam promptly ooh-ed and aah-ed.

Mel grinned. "I have jerseys for Khan, Bailey, and Sirius, too!"

The group stopped by Sam's house next and retrieved Sirius. Mel handed her friend a small Seirin jersey, which Sam happily dressed the puppy in. The next stop was Robert's house, where Khan and Bailey were soon proudly sporting Touou jerseys.

Finally, the group and their pets headed over to Henry's house to get a basketball before they moved over to the nearby basketball courts where they split into two teams: Akira and Henry versus Mel and Robert. Sam decided to referee. She launched the ball up into the air, signaling the start of the game. Then, she and the pets sat on the bench to watch.

Henry and Mel both jumped for the ball, and because Mel sprung up faster, she gained control of the ball and tossed it to Robert. The boy caught it with one hand and dribbled it down the court. Unfortunately, he noticed a figure near him and turned to it, accidentally looking Henry in the eyes. He froze where he was and Akira ran by and plucked it from his grasp. Robert snapped out of his stupor once he no longer felt the ball and quickly spun to catch Aki. Mel and Robert jumped to block the redhead, but were a second too late as she slammed the ball into the hoop.

There was a shrill whistle that startled the four players. They turned to find the source and saw Sam sitting with the pets, a whistle not in her mouth, but in Sirius'.

"Point, Aki and Henry," Sam said quietly.

Akira chuckled. "Sirius is kind of like Nigou, isn't he?" Sam just shrugged.

"I'll tell you who he's not like," said a voice, startling the Dragons. They turned to find Tyler leaning against the fence. "He's not like you five, who will _not_ be excused from today's basketball training."

The former team collectively groaned. Sam cried silent tears, while Akira and Mel collapsed in despair. Robert just slumped forward, and Henry's lips twitched.

Jack and Lexi, who had followed the teen tormentor, giggled, and Zach, who had followed the kids to make sure they wouldn't get into any trouble, smirked. Unfortunately for them, Tyler noticed and turned to them with a mischievous glint in his eyes, shutting them up immediately.

"I wouldn't laugh if I were you, unless you want to join them?" The three frantically shook their heads, making sure to keep silent. Tyler seemed to approve. "Good, now I have a job for you three…" He turned to find the girls trying to sneak away. "Catch them!"

The two children ran as fast as they could and tackled Sam to the ground, pinning her to hinder her escape, while Zach ran and caught Mel. Akira sprinted as fast as she could to the court's exit, and didn't notice the wire Tyler had set up beforehand. Tyler just pulled the string, tripping the speedster. She turned to find Tyler's sadistic, shadowed face.

"Long live training…!"

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Akira panted as she finally finished running back and forth between Henry's and Robert's houses for the twelfth time. They were half a mile apart, so it wasn't pleasant. She turned to find Sam finishing her run at a walking-paced jog before falling to the ground in exhaustion, and Mel on her knees, trying to catch her breath. Robert and Henry had made it before the two girls on the ground, and had their hands on their knees as they sipped the bottles of water they had stolen from Tyler and his minions of darkness.

Tyler walked up to the five Dragons with a smile. "I've been feeling generous today, so that'll be enough running… for now. Be ready for more work tomorrow! Now, for the last thing you'll be doing today, I want you all to walk to your homes… on your hands."

The girls sighed. They were lucky they decided to wear compression shirts under their clothes that morning so nothing would show when their shirts rode up. After taking a moment to finish catching their breath, they, along with the boys, stood on their hands and began heading home, where they would hopefully get some sleep.

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When Mel made it home, she stumbled into her room and face-planted onto her bed. Artemis ran over and plopped herself on Mel's back. Right as she was drifting to sleep, Mel's phone went off. The girl groaned before reaching an arm over to grab her phone. She answered the call and placed the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" she mumbled.

" _Ah, Mel? This is Tatsuya_ ," came the voice on the other side of the line. " _I wanted to call to see how you were doing_."

Mel's pulse went back to its racing state at the sound of her crush's voice, and now she was wide awake. "Um, hi. I'm doing fine, thanks. How's it back in Japan? Is Atsushi going to practice?"

" _I've been managing to drag him over, but he still doesn't do much. I wish you were here; he usually listens when both of us tell him to practice_."

 _I wish you were here…_ The words echoed in Mel's head as she blushed beet red.

"Y-yeah," the blonde stuttered. "I kinda miss everyone over there, too… But don't worry, I'll be back before you know it! Ha ha…" Suddenly, Mel remembered something. "Oh! I got you guys presents! I think you'll love them."

" _Is that so? Are you going to tell me what they are?"_

Mel beamed. "Nope! You'll just have to find out when I get back!"

Tatsuya sighed on the other side of the line. _"If you won't tell me, why did you even bring it up?"_

"To bug you~"

There was a huff. " _Fine. Well, you should probably rest. I'm sure Akira's brother won't let you off the hook just because you're back in the States. Say hi to them for me. Bye._ "

"Sure thing. Bye." Mel hung up her phone and stared at her phone. After a minute, she abruptly smashed her face back in her pillow. "This boy is going to be the death of me…"

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Akira huffed as she made it to her front door. She stood back up from her handstand position and walked in her home. The parents were gone somewhere, and she figured they were at another one of their group hangout events. Tyler was already home, sitting on the couch, watching an anime.

The redhead didn't bother joining her demon of a brother, so she crawled upstairs to her room and collapsed on the bed. Then she remembered she still hadn't checked her phone all day. She grabbed the device from her nightstand and was surprised to find a few messages from the team, and two from a certain bluenette.

 _You two better not be slacking off over there! We're busting our butts, so if I find out you guys haven't been practicing, I'll get Riko to tell Tyler to raise your training! - Hyuga_

 _I made sure to tell Tyler to keep you in shape! Good luck! - Riko_

Akira scowled. So, it was the coach's fault Tyler didn't let up on his training. She growled and quickly texted Hyuga back.

 _I bet we get more practice in one day than you get in a week!_

She sighed and decided to open up Kuroko's contact icon.

 _The team misses you guys. Hope to see you soon._

Akira smiled a sad smile. She missed everyone, too, and she was happy to know they thought about her, but she thought the text would be more personal. She sighed and turned to the second text. What she saw nearly made her heart stop.

 _I miss you._

Akira nearly fainted from all the blood that rushed to her head. She could no longer deny it. She was in love with Kuroko Tetsuya.

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Sam and Robert decided to just head over to the Asher house, where they were greeted by two dogs and their pup. Sam tiredly slumped against Robert, and he dragged her over to the couch so they could sit down. Khan, Bailey, and Sirius hopped onto the couch with them and snuggled in close, pushing the two dragons together so that Robert was flush against Sam as she slept on his chest.

Robert leaned back against the couch as he tried to ignore his sore muscles while also trying not to pay attention to the brunette lying on him. He wasn't sure if his heart was racing from the running or from Sam's touch. He decided not to think about it too much as his eyes began to shut. Soon he was asleep.

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(A Few Hours Later...)

Everyone was gathered around once more as Sam dialed the basketball tournament's advisors number. It was dead silent as the call tone rang once. Twice. After the third ring, a deep voice rang through the speaker.

" _ **Hello?**_ _"_

Sam took a breath. " **Hello, this is Lyons Sam from the Seirin basketball team. I was wondering if I could speak with one of the basketball tournament advisors.** "

" _ **Speaking. What did you need?"**_

" **Well, our team was wondering…** "


End file.
